Medicines prices stubborn despite falling in fuel, gold, and forex
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Hsu / Myo Gyi (NP News) - Oct 4
The public is still stuck in hardship for buying drugs as the prices of pharmaceutical medicines in the domestic market still skyrockets although gasoline, gold, and forex prices have been gradually decreasing.
The fuel price started reaching below 2,000 Kyat per liter of 92 Ron type of gasoline where it stands at 2,400 kyat per premium diesel on October 3 and 4. The gold price has plummeted steeply from 33 lakh per tical to 24 lakhs until the commencement of October.
Following a bit of getting high in the global gold market, the domestic gold price reaches again 26 lakhs on October 4.
The forex rate soared up to more than 4000 kyats in the market in August. However in September, the exchange price gradually dropped lower than 3000 kyats. The current market price reaches 2700 kyats per dollar, according to the local market data.
Treatment drugs are still high in the market at the moment at double or triple times than former prices.
“Formerly, monthly expenditure on my drugs and medicines was only 100,000 kyat on average. But now, it costs me about 250,000 kyats to 300,000 kyats to buy the prescription drugs these months. The prices have rocketed unbelievably. For example, I used to buy Clopilet – the antiplatelet medicines with only 3200 kyats. But now the price has jumped up to 6,000 kyats” a chronic diabetes patient recounted to NP news.
“I’m suffering from diabetes. Formerly, it cost me only around 80,000 kyats for a month but now I have to spend around 150,000 to 200,000 kyats only for the medicine. Since we are suffered from chronic diseases, we cannot stop using medicines. We wish drug prices fall,” a source with diabetes disease told NP News.