Hello,

We hope the year started off well for you. In 2018, we’d like to start engaging with you in a meaningful manner. Every month, we will be emailing you stories and updates from the work we do in India and internationally. We hope you find these interesting, insightful and worth sharing.  It could also potentially be a useful resource for you.

February marks one year since we started our Hepatitis C clinic in Meerut at the PL Sharma District Hospital. While we were aware of the high prevalence of hepatitis C in the region, there was no defined understanding of the extent of the disease. Since the launch of the project, MSF has witnessed the acute need for Hepatitis C treatment. We observed even relatively low medical costs can prevent people from seeking care—highlighting the need for free treatment to be accessible. Along with the National Health Mission, MSF is  developing a model of care which also includes counselling and health education.

We can’t overstate the importance of this.

Many of the patients seeking care at our clinic are infected because of poor medical practices such as unsafe blood transfusions and the use of unsterilized equipment by unqualified medical practitioners. Health education and counselling are very important and go  a long way in preventing the spread of infection. Later this month, we will be sharing more details about our work with Hepatitis C in Meerut project –including glimpses into the lives of patients we treat.

In addition to treating the patients that come through our doors in Meerut, we also want to demonstrate how effective a decentralized model of care can be –with the hopes that it can be replicated across the state. The clinic uses the latest generation of Hepatitis C drugs which are available at a much lower cost in India compared to many other countries. We aren't exaggerating when we say ‘much lower.’ For example, a 12-week regimen of a medication used for Hepatitis C treatment in the United States would cost around 41 lakh rupees while in India the same costs as low as 20,000 rupees.

The key factor for this is India’s patent policy. It allows for the manufacturing of generic versions of these drugs, substantially bringing down prices. Therefore,  patent decisions could determine if millions of patients get access to life-saving drugs. Which brings us to another important event scheduled for February. Later this month, the Delhi High Court will have its final say on  the challenge to Pfizer's patent for its pneumonia vaccine. MSF has been campaigning against the patent granted to the US pharmaceutical corporation for its pneumonia vaccine, Prevnar 13. India’s Patent Office has already granted a patent giving Pfizer complete monopoly over the production of the vaccine until 2026.

What does this mean for India, a country where more children die of pneumonia  than anywhere else? Limited access to the key vaccine. That’s beacause the patent blocks Indian manufacturers from supplying a competing lower-priced version for the vaccine. You can check out our campaign against Pfizer’s pricing for pneumonia vaccine here. The patent has also been challenged in South Korea. MSF is asking the Supreme Court there to  review and annul the Pfizer patent.

“Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) presently control a duopoly market for PCV, the world’s best-selling vaccine that has brought in a whopping $39 billion in sales in the last 8 years to the two pharmaceutical corporations. Meanwhile, about one third of countries around the world (~60 countries), have not yet been able to introduce the PCV in their national immunization systems due to the exorbitant prices the two corporations charge – despite a 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation,”

Leena Menghaney, Regional Head, MSF Access Campaign, South Asia

There’s a good reason why we are pinning our hopes on February. The year did not start off well for many, especially for those fleeing violence.  On January 6, a boat carrying 150 people capsized off the coast of Libya.   The Italian coastguards who found the boat could rescue only 84 of them. In 2017 alone, over 3000 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while around 120,000 arrived in Italy.  The Italian coastguards narrate many heart-breaking stories including that of a three-year-old boy hanging on to his mother’s dead body.  On January 27,  we were able to rescue 99 survivors from a sinking rubber boat in the Mediterranean.  An unknown number of men, women and children are however still missing and presumed to have drowned. Two women are confirmed dead. 

Closer to our border, Rohingyas continue to flee violence in Myanmar. They are seeking  refuge in Bangladesh, despite the precarious living conditions in refugee settlements in  Cox’s Bazar. The refugee camps are now home to more than 868,000 refugees, including pre-existing and newly arrived.

January also marked one year since the town of Rann in Nigeria was bombed by the  Nigerian air force. The bombing killed 90 people and wounded many more. Six Nigerian  Red Cross personnel and three workers contracted by MSF also tragically lost their lives in the incident. While the Nigerian military admitted the bombing was a mistake, there are still no results from a military led investigation into the incident. In this interview with the BBC, MSF aid worker Alfred Davies recounts the incident and shares some  tragic stories from when the first bomb exploded  300m from him. 

Attacks on healthcare facilities exacerbate the already difficult task of providing healthcare in Nigeria. Years of conflict between the Nigerian army and Boko Haram, for example, has resulted in most of the population completely becoming dependent on humanitarian aid for survival. At times, reaching those who need healthcare the most becomes difficult, forcing us to find alternative ways.  We came up with one creative solution in northeastern Nigeria: auto rickshaws.

MSF uses these small three-wheeled vehicles as makeshift ambulances to reach locations that are not easily accesible by other modes of transport. Interestingly, these autos, referred to as Keke Napeps in the region, are all produced by Indian auto manufacturing companies, TVS and Bajaj. Here’s a video of Keke Napeps in action

It’s always a delight to see Indian innovations helping people across the borders especially when it comes to providing healthcare. On that note, a belated Happy New Year!

Know someone in your newsroom who would be interested in our stories? Email us at aditi.sonrexa@new-delhi.msf.org