Trinidad and Tobago could significantly reduce its healthcare costs by deepening pharmaceutical trade with India.
That’s the view of President of the Trinidad and Tobago India Business Federation, Dr. Vaalmikki Arjoon, who says greater access to Indian generic medicines could ease pressure on both patients and the public health system.
India is one of the world’s largest producers of generic drugs and vaccines, and Dr. Arjoon argues that expanding imports and potentially positioning Trinidad and Tobago as a regional distribution hub could transform the country’s cost structure, particularly for life-saving treatments.
“That $100 cancer pill that is manufactured by Big Pharma, there are Indian companies that are manufacturing the same item, but in a generic form, and the same quality for about $5 per pill. So you can imagine what that could do for the cost structure of our healthcare service here in T&T.”
Dr. Arjoon noted that Trinidad and Tobago already imports pharmaceuticals from India but says there is scope to expand that relationship further, not only to lower domestic healthcare costs but also to serve markets across the wider Caribbean and Latin America.