Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Going beyond customs: On full exemption from basic customs duty for drugs, food imported for treatment of rare diseases

Going beyond customs: On full exemption from basic customs duty for drugs, food imported for treatment of rare diseases

The government must find innovative solutions to help people with rare diseases

For the state (राज्य), there can be no rest; vigil (vigilance, surveillance, close watch, monitoring) should be constant, and the endeavour (प्रयास, गतिविधि) should be to address issues relating to the public’s welfare (कल्याण) continually. A classic exposition (प्रदर्शन, विवरण) of this principle is the Centre’s announcement providing full exemption from basic customs duty for all drugs (दवाई, औषधि) and food imported for treatment of rare diseases listed under the National Policy for Rare Diseases (and anti-cancer drug Pembrolizumab). This adds benefits, beyond those already incorporated (शामिल) in the policy (originally formulated (तैयार करना, व्यवस्था करना) in 2017) finalised just under a year ago. In order to avail (लाभ उठाना) this exemption, the individual importer must produce a certificate from specified authorities (अधिकारी वर्ग, प्राधिकारी वर्ग). Medicines generally attract (आकर्षित करना) basic customs (a traditional way of doing something; tradition, practice, procedure, convention) duty of 10%, while some categories of lifesaving drugs/vaccines (टीका) get concessions (allowance, deduction, rebate, reduction, cut) or exemptions. Exemptions have already been provided to specified drugs for the treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (deterioration, degeneration, weakening, decaying, wasting away, wasting) or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (a group of diseases that make muscles weaker and less flexible over time. It is caused by a problem in the genes that control how the body keeps muscles healthy). Rare diseases are a group of diseases that occur infrequently (कभी कभी) in the community and as such patients are disadvantaged (वंचित) by the lack (कमी, अपर्याप्तता) of volumes (quantity, amount (of something)) that usually spur (प्रेरित करना) pharmacological (relating to the science of drugs/medications) companies into producing life-saving medicines. While some of these diseases do not have any described treatment methodologies, wherever treatment exists, the drugs have to be imported and costs are prohibitive, putting it out of the reach (inaccessible, beyond reach; not able to be easily obtained (due to excessively priced)) of most people. The NPRD estimates (roughly calculate, evaluate, consider) that for a child weighing 10 kg, the annual cost of treatment for some rare diseases may vary from ₹10 lakh to more than ₹1 crore per year, with treatment being lifelong and drug dose (an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time) and costs increasing with age and weight. The duty exemption (exclusion, exception, relief) will lead to substantial (considerable, large, significant) savings for patients. Organisations lobbying (to influence (the government/its official group/elected legislators) to create the actions, policies, or decisions to help a particular organization) for support for patients with rare diseases have welcomed the move (action, act, step, measure) which will grant much needed relief to patients and their families; a ray ((a faint) sign, trace/glimmer, hint (of light/hope)) of hope in an otherwise bleak (unpromising, unfavourable, disadvantageous) treatment scenario.

While rare diseases are defined by their infrequent (rare, uncommon, unusual, irregular, occasional, sporadic) occurrence (incidence, prevalence, existence, appearance, development) in the population, the sheer (total, complete, absolute, thorough, downright, unqualified) number of diseases (estimated between 7,000-8,000 conditions; 450 of them have been reported from hospitals in India), and the number of people with some form of rare diseases in India (an estimated 100 million) make it a problem that cannot be ignored. When the NPRD was released, it underlined (underscore, emphasize, highlight, accentuate, call/draw attention to, give prominence to) the magnitude (extent, degree, scale, level), and specified that demands could only be considered in the context (circumstances, conditions, situation, backdrop) of the available scarce resources (a source of support; an available means of aid; means, method, way, course) that would have to be used judiciously. While striking a note for the goal of affordable (inexpensive, cheap, low-cost, reasonably priced) health care, the government must ensure that its directions are followed in full (in its entirety, fully, in toto), besides (in addition, furthermore, moreover, further) staying the course to innovate solutions for this category of patients.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.drug (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दवाई, औषधि
English Meaning - medicine, medication, medical drug.

2.the state (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राज्य
English Meaning - the government.

3.endeavour (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रयास, गतिविधि
English Meaning - activity, pursuit; aim/effort.

4.welfare (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कल्याण
English Meaning - well-being, good health, happiness, safety, comfort.

5.exposition (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रदर्शन, विवरण
English Meaning - explanation, description, elucidation, interpretation.

6.incorporated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - शामिल
English Meaning - included.

7.formulate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - तैयार करना, व्यवस्था करना
English Meaning - draw up, frame, plan, devise, create.

8.avail (verb)

Hindi Meaning - लाभ उठाना
English Meaning - use, utilize, employ, make use of, take advantage of.

9.authorities (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकारी वर्ग, प्राधिकारी वर्ग
English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the government the bureaucracy.

10.attract (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आकर्षित करना
English Meaning - draw; cause to have/adhere/come.

11.vaccine (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीका
English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

12.infrequently (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - कभी कभी
English Meaning - rarely, uncommonly, unusually, irregularly, occasionally, sporadically.

13.disadvantaged (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - वंचित
English Meaning - deprived, depressed, in distress, in need, needy.

14.lack (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कमी, अपर्याप्तता
English Meaning - shortage, undersupply, insufficiency, shorfall.

15.spur (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना
English Meaning - motivate, stimulate, encourage, prompt, galvanize.

16.go beyond (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be more than something; to do more than something; to do more than is needed.

17.custom (noun)

English Meaning - a traditional way of doing something; tradition, practice, procedure, convention.

18.exemption (noun)

English Meaning - exclusion, exception, relief.

19.customs (noun)

English Meaning - the government department that deals with taxes on goods coming into and leaving a country.

20.custom duty (noun)

English Meaning - the taxes levied on goods coming from outside the country (as opposed to excise duty that levied on the manufacture of goods within the country).

21.vigil (noun)

English Meaning - vigilance, surveillance, close watch, monitoring.

22.constant (adjective)

English Meaning - continuous, round-the-clock, non-stop.

23.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

24.classic (adjective)

English Meaning - very typical, perfect, standard, textbook.

25.National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 (NPRD) (noun)

English Meaning - The National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 (NPRD) was notified on March 31, 2021. It aims to lower the high cost of treatment for rare diseases, with an increased focus on indigenous research and local production of medicines. A provision for financial support up to ₹20 lakh under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi is proposed for the treatment of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment (diseases listed under Group 1 in the rare disease policy).

26.Pembrolizumab (noun)

English Meaning - anti-cancer drug; a medication used in the management and treatment of various oncologic conditions. (oncology is a branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer).

27.in order to (phrase)

English Meaning - with the aim of doing something; with the purpose of doing something; so as to, with a view to, as a way to.

28.concession (noun)

English Meaning - allowance, deduction, rebate, reduction, cut.

29.atrophy (noun)

English Meaning - deterioration, degeneration, weakening, decaying, wasting away, wasting.

30.Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

English Meaning - it refers to a group of hereditary diseases that can damage and kill specialized nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord (motor neurons) ; it is a genetic disorder characterized by weakness and wasting (atrophy) in muscles used for movement.

31.(muscular) dystrophy (noun)

English Meaning - a group of diseases that make muscles weaker and less flexible over time. It is caused by a problem in the genes that control how the body keeps muscles healthy.

32.Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

English Meaning - It is one of the most severe forms of inherited muscular dystrophies. It is the most common hereditary neuromuscular disease and does not exhibit a predilection for any race or ethnic group

33.volume (noun)

English Meaning - quantity, amount (of something).

34.pharmacological (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the science of drugs/medications.

35.prohibitive (adjective)

English Meaning - excessively high, exorbitant, excessive, sky-high, unreasonably high.

36.out of the reach (phrase)

English Meaning - inaccessible, beyond reach; not able to be easily obtained (due to excessively priced).

37.estimate (verb)

English Meaning - roughly calculate, evaluate, consider.

38.dose (noun)

English Meaning - an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

39.substantial (adjective)

English Meaning - considerable, large, significant.

40.lobby (verb)

English Meaning - to influence (the government/its official group/elected legislators) to create the actions, policies, or decisions to help a particular organization.

41.welcome (verb)

English Meaning - receive, embrace.

42.move (noun)

English Meaning - action, act, step, measure.

43.much-needed (adjective)

English Meaning - very necessary.

44.ray (noun)

English Meaning - (a faint) sign, trace/glimmer, hint (of light/hope).

45.bleak (adjective)

English Meaning - unpromising, unfavourable, disadvantageous.

46.scenario (noun)

English Meaning - situation, backdrop, background, context.

47.infrequent (adjective)

English Meaning - rare, uncommon, unusual, irregular, occasional, sporadic.

48.occurrence (noun)

English Meaning - incidence, prevalence, existence, appearance, development.

49.sheer (adjective)

English Meaning - total, complete, absolute, thorough, downright, unqualified.

50.underline (adjective)

English Meaning - underscore, emphasize, highlight, accentuate, call/draw attention to, give prominence to.

51.magnitude (noun)

English Meaning - extent, degree, scale, level.

52.context (noun)

English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, situation, backdrop.

53.scarce (adjective)

English Meaning - meagre, insufficient, inadequate, negligible, paltry.

54.resources (noun)

English Meaning - a source of support; an available means of aid; means, method, way, course.

55.judiciously (adverb)

English Meaning - wisely, sensibly, prudently, thoughtfully, well-advisedly.

56.strike a note (phrase)

English Meaning - to express a particular type of opinions or feelings about something); communicate, indicate, cite, call to mind, bring to mind.

57.affordable (adjective)

English Meaning - inexpensive, cheap, low-cost, reasonably priced.

58.in full (phrase)

English Meaning - in its entirety, fully, in toto.

59.besides (adverb)

English Meaning - in addition, furthermore, moreover, further.

60.stay the course (phrase)

English Meaning - continue doing something in spite of difficulties; to continue doing something till the end even though it is tough/challenging; work hard till the end to accomplish the task.