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." |
