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Prescribe generic drugs: H&ME to medicos

12/28/2016
                          Old wine in new bottle
Government asking doctors to prescribe generic medicines has triggered a debate. Would this order be implemented in letter and spirit remains to be seen? As in the past this order and idea proved to be damp squib.

Nitesh Sangral   

Jammu, Dec 27: The new direction of Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department is like the proverbial 'old wine in a new bottle'. Number of times, the concerned Ministers as well as higher ups of the Department issued directions to head of hospitals to ensure that doctors prescribe only generic drugs but failed to implement it. The fresh direction now has received mixed response from doctors' fraternity.
Moreover, some doctors are of the opinion that they don't have any problems to prescribe generic drugs to patients but the question is who would monitor chemist shops as they would dispense salt as per their sweet will.
Complying with the directions of the H&ME department, Head of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) Jammu has issued a circular and an order in which all the Head of Department (HoDs), Medical Faculty, Doctors, Registrars and Post Graduates have been directed to prescribe only drugs by their generic names available in hospital pharmacy as well as to avoid prescription of poly pharmacy and write the name of the drugs in capital letters with name, designation and seal.
According to circular, all Medical Superintendents shall supply and display in all wards/sections the list of generic medicines available in the pharmacy (OPD) of the hospital as well as medicine available for inward and emergency patients in their respective hospitals.
GMC&H Jammu also issued an order and constituted a 'Prescription, Investigation Audit Committee" of this institution comprising HoD Microbiology Dr. Bella Mahajan, HoD Pathology Dr. K.K. Koul, HoD Community Medicine Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Associate Prof. Department of Pharmacology Dr. Seema Gupta, Medical Superintendent of concerned hospital and representative from the Drug Controller Office nominated by the Controller Drug and Food Control Organization, Jammu.
The committee shall conduct investigation audit every six months and shall submit its findings to undersigned for onward submission to the higher authorities and the committee shall have to monitor one prescribed drugs by their generic names available in hospital pharmacy.
After the circular and order were issued, the doctors' fraternity gave mixed response.
"In the absence of large number of Jan Aushadhi stores, it will be impossible to implement the spirit of idea in true sense. Furthermore, H&ME department has failed to close the private shops within hospital who are dispensing medicines at their sweet will, "doctors asserted, adding that it is beyond any doubt that none of the hospitals even GMC&H Jammu have sufficient number and quality drugs in their stores.

They added that Health Ministry Government must create infrastructure and open Jan Aushadhi stores without delay so that patients avail generic medicines on cheap rates. "If we implement such orders without proper planning, it shall be shifting patients from corrupt doctors to corrupt chemists, "they alleged.

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