Mankhwala ndi otchipa. Pali mankhwala ochepa omwe angagulitse zoposa $5- $10 mankhwala pamsika waulere. Komabe, mankhwala ambiri ku United States amagulitsidwa ndi madola mazana ambiri pa mankhwala aliwonse ndipo nthawi zina madola masauzande angapo pa mankhwala aliwonse. Pali chifukwa chosavuta cha izi: kulamulira kwapatent koperekedwa ndi boma.

Boma limapereka ma patent monopolies kuti apereke chilimbikitso kwa makampani opanga mankhwala kuti achite kafukufuku. Iyi ndi njira yobwerera m'mbuyo komanso yosagwira ntchito yolipirira kafukufuku. Zimatisiya tikulipira ndalama zambiri pamankhwala otsika mtengo. Komanso nthawi zambiri zimayambitsa mankhwala oipa.

Titha kuchita bwino ndipo Senator Bernie Sanders wapereka njira. Adakhazikitsa bili yopangira thumba la mphotho lomwe lingagule ma patent, kuti mankhwala athe kugulitsidwa pamtengo wawo wamsika waulere. Bili ya Sanders ingayenerere 0.55 peresenti ya GDP (pafupifupi $ 80 biliyoni pachaka, ndi kukula kwachuma komwe kulipo) pogula ma patent, omwe amayikidwa pagulu kuti wopanga aliyense azigwiritsa ntchito popanda mtengo.

Ndalamazi zimachokera ku msonkho wa ma inshuwaransi aboma ndi apadera. Ndalama zomwe zasungidwa kuchokera kumankhwala otsika mtengo zingabwezerenso msonkho woposa 100 peresenti.

Dzikoli likuyembekezeka kuwononga ndalama zokwana madola 300 biliyoni chaka chino pogula mankhwala. Mitengo ingagwere pafupifupi gawo limodzi mwa magawo khumi a ndalamazi pakalibe ma patent monopolies, zomwe zimapangitsa kuti apulumuke kupitilira $250 biliyoni. Ndalama zomwe zimasungidwa pamitengo yotsika zikuyenera kupitilira kukula kwa msonkho, ndikusiya kutsika kwakukulu kwamitengo kwa boma ndi ma inshuwaransi apadera.

Bili ya thumba la mphotho ya Sanders ipita kutali kuthetsa mavuto omwe afala pamsika wamankhwala. Choyamba, zingathetse nkhani zopanda pake zopezera ma inshuwaransi kapena boma kuti lilipire mankhwala osokoneza bongo. Ngati mankhwala amawononga $ 5- $ 10 pamankhwala aliwonse, sipangakhale nkhani zazikulu za yemwe amalipira mankhwala. Izi zidzathetsa kufunika kwa mapepala ndi maulamuliro omwe makampani a inshuwalansi apanga kuti azikhala ndi malipiro ake a mankhwala.

Tithanso kuthetsa zovuta zachinyengo zomwe timadzipangira tokha ndi ma patent amankhwala. Kodi Medicare iyenera kulipira $ 100,000 pachaka kwa mankhwala ochizira khansa yachilendo mwa wazaka 80 wathanzi? Vutoli limakhala lopanda nzeru mwachangu pamene mankhwalawa amapezeka $ 200 pachaka pamsika waulere popanda chitetezo cha patent.

Thumba la mphotho la Sanders lingathenso kuthetsa machitidwe ambiri achinyengo omwe makampaniwa amagwiritsa ntchito kuti akankhire mankhwala awo, kukokomeza ubwino wa mankhwala awo ndikubisa zomwe zingawononge. Sizichitika kawirikawiri kuti mwezi umatha popanda chisokonezo pambaliyi. Ngati makampani opanga mankhwala sakanayimanso kuti apeze phindu la mabiliyoni ambiri kuchokera ku malonda achinyengo oterowo, sakanatero.

Zingathenso kuchepetsa zinyalala zambiri mu kafukufuku wamakono. Makampani opanga mankhwala osokoneza bongo nthawi zambiri amawononga ndalama zambiri kupanga ma copycat omwe alibe phindu pachipatala, koma amatha kuwalola kupeza gawo la renti ya opikisana nawo.

Thumba la mphotho la Sanders si njira yokhayo yopezera ma patent othandizira kafukufuku wamankhwala operekedwa ndi dokotala. Tithanso kutsata njira yopezera ndalama za boma pomwe boma lingapange mgwirizano wa kafukufukuyu pasadakhale. Timawononga kale ndalama zoposa $30 biliyoni pachaka pa kafukufuku wotere kudzera ku National Institutes of Health. Akatswiri azaumoyo amaona kuti izi ndi ndalama zogwiritsidwa ntchito bwino kwambiri.

Zingakhale zotheka kuchulukitsa ndalamazi ndi ziwiri kapena zitatu ndi cholinga cholowa m'malo mwa kafukufuku wothandizidwa ndi patent. Ndalama zachindunjizi zikanakhala ndi mwayi woti zotsatira zonse zikhale zopezeka kwa ofufuza komanso anthu onse, popeza izi zikanakhala chikhalidwe cha ndalamazo. Woimira Dennis Kucinich adayambitsa bili motsatira izi zaka zingapo zapitazo.

Pakadali pano sitiyenera kusankha njira yabwino yopangira kafukufuku wothandizidwa ndi ma patent amankhwala operekedwa ndi dokotala, zomwe tiyenera kuchita ndikuyambitsa mkangano. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Research project yomwe tidzagwiritse ntchito pafupifupi $4 thililiyoni pamankhwala operekedwa ndimankhwala mzaka khumi zikubwerazi. Izi ndi pafupifupi $10,000 kwa mwamuna, mkazi, ndi mwana aliyense m’dzikolo. Yapita nthawi yayitali kuti tiganizire mozama kuti tiwonetsetse kuti tikupeza phindu la ndalamazi. Bili ya Sanders Prize Fund ndi gawo lofunikira mbali iyi.

Nkhaniyi idasindikizidwa koyambirira pa Meyi 31, 2011 ndi The Guardian Unlimited. 

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