Drug Mafia hijacks J&K Drug Policy
3/10/2015
Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 10: Despite being approved by the previous
government, the Drug Policy has been lost into oblivion, as due to pressure of
powerful nexus behind illicit trade of substandard drug in state, the policy
has not been implemented yet.
Doctors across the state continue to prescribe medicine
by brand names instead of generic names as laid down in the drug policy.
The policy was made to promote availability and
affordability of medicines, to ensure safety, quality and efficacy, to promote
good prescribing and dispensing practices and rational use of drugs in public
and private sectors and to provide a cost-effective, efficient, procurement and
supply management system for government hospitals.
"It is mandatory for every doctor to prescribe
salts of medicines instead of their trade names. But the state government and
State Health Department, have failed to implement the policy in the government
hospitals owing to allegedly highly influential drug mafia that adopted every
conceivable method to scuttle the policy, "Official sources informed.
They further said that drug mafia and corporate
lobbying, had been preventing the administration to implement the policy.
"Drugs were to be sold on generic or salt name, that is still an distant
dream for commoners", they added.
Rahul a patient from Udhampur, suffering from kidney
ailments told that the doctors, who operated on him, prescribed medicines of
higher cost and refused to prescribe cheaper alternatives to costly medicines
he wrote.
When contacted Medical Superintendent of GMC hospital
said, "We have implemented the drug policy and passed instructions to all
doctors to follow the policy, and mention only salt or generic name as
recommended in the policy."
He further said, "If any doctor is found promoting
any brand in the hospital, strict action will be taken against him."
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