The first obvious obstacle is the Thai government. It ignores the AIDS problem as if people’s lives are not important. They do not want to admit the Aids as national problem, because it will affect the economy; the sex industry in Thailand will collapse. One of the senators even says that the right to live is only for good people and that bad people like patients with AIDS do not deserve it, but he is wrong, because some patients are innocent children. Even if, the rest of the patients are promiscuous, as humans, they should have right to pursue medical treatment. Therefore, the government spends less than 200000 dollars on AIDS which is very little amount of money compared to other countries’ budget, while the number of the patients is increasing rapidly. This shows that the government who is supposed to be people’s supporter gives no concern on peoples’ health, but economy and profits. The government, although doesn’t affect Dr. Krisana’s determination directly, but its lack of care and ignorance on giving the right information about AIDS to public causes difficulties for Dr.Krisana. For example, she can hardly find anybody who supports her maybe because they do not know the seriousness of the problem the government tries to hide.
When Dr. Krisana first determines to produce the Antiretroviral, which is a treatment for HIV, many people disagrees with the idea. First, the new director, Dr. Likhit is against her and tries to stop her idea with many reason : that the drug is not profitable, it is not reliable because it is made by the Asian, it will be expensive and Thai people would not be able to afford it anyway, the toxic will risk the workers, the drug will jeopardize the Thailand’s trade relations with the USA due to the patent rights. It is obvious that Dr. Likhit is only concerned with profits than with patients. However, Dr. Krisana goes on her project in spite of the lack of support.
Dr. Krisana asks other staff to help her, but They ask the same question as Dr.Likhit. One of them is afraid that to make the Antiretroviral is too difficult, but Dr. krisana believes that if they try, they can do it, just like they way they already accomplishes other difficult drugs. None of them wants to join her, because they do not believe that it will be successful. However, in scene 10, Dr. Krisana goes on the project on her own, without caring for herself. For example, she tests the drug with her own body, deals with the toxic alone, and works without resting properly. The date person telling how much time has passed shows that she devotes her time and energy for the drug. For example, the date person says “one hour, two hours, three hours, twelve hours”, “spring, summer, fall, winter” and “Time passes. Time passes. Time passes”.
During the experiment in scene 10 , Dr. Krisana faces another problem ; “The pills won’t bind” and “the pills fall apart” which discourages her. However, she does not give up and finally achieves the Antiretroviral. However, nobody buys her drug, because it is not promoted. Dr. Likhit does not support her drug and calls the Briton Miles company who holds the patent of the HIV drugs to make things worse.
Briton Miles owns the patent on drugs which Dr. Krisana uses on her cocktail drugs, and tries to call for its right to be the only one who can sell them. The world patent law, in spite of being legally right, blocks patient from drugs. It represents the world that is dominated with business and profits, which is against to Dr.Krisana’s will to help people. However, Dr.Krisana does not give up and stand for her determination.
Finally, Dr.Krisana overcomes all the obstacles about the difficulty of producing drugs, the patent, the worry that the drugs are not profitable, that they drugs she made cause trade sanctions against the country etc. , but ,still, at the Barcelona World AIDS Conference in scene 16, many are suspicious about her drugs. Up to this point, Dr. Krisana has been discouraged and obstructed by many people. In this scene, she cries for the first time which shows how much she is hurt and sad for the patients that is dying everyday. It also shows that she is also a little woman who has feeling; she works hard and she can be tired like other people, she cries when many people discourage her, too. However, she still doesn’t give up. She is still determined to help patients and believes it is morally right to do so.
Her decision to go to the Africa to help people there produce drugs shows her love without frontier for people. The minister of health is actually supposed to help her according to the statement he made, but he does not help because he only thinks people already forget about it and that it is not profitable to do help anymore. However, neither the lack of support nor the war in the Africa can stop her from her determination. This shows that her determination to help people pursue drugs equally never stop and that it is strong enough to fly to the other side of the world. It is also strong enough that she resigns from the GPO leaving salary, position for her only determination.
Through the whole play, Dr. Krisana has shown her self-determination to help people despite many obstacles lining up to face her. She shows that a person by oneself with self-determinations can change the world to be a better one. The story ends in scene 22, but her determination is not ended, it still motivates her to further help people as her grandmother teaches her ; “If you have enough in your life then you must share with those who have less than you. Never forget that, Krisana”