Editorials

[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Medicines: Cheaper can be as good

The medical pricing policy that the government recently announced is focused on drug prices because the insurance corporation has been losing money after the separation of physicians and pharmacists. Thus, standardized prices of certain medicines are about to be adopted; patients have to pay part of the cost of expensive medicines.

The share of expensive medicines in the market was 36 percent in May 2000, but it went up to more than 50 percent after clinics and pharmacies were separated. That is amazing because there are cheaper medicines that have almost the same effects as the expensive ones.

People believe that expensive must be better. That cannot be true, or cheaper medicines would not have been allowed on the market. Standard prices will reduce expenses and stabilize the insurance budget. We must all help.

by Kim Sang-hi