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| Despite ban, doctors in JK continue to receive freebies | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
srinagar, Oct 24: Notwithstanding a ban imposed by the Medical Council of India on doctors from taking any gift from Medical and allied Health Sector Industries, the practice continues unabated in J&K.
Sources in the Health department explained the phenomenon to to Early Times. "A pen, a calculator, a vanity bag, and so on. This is how the exchange begins between pharmaceutical companies and doctors."
In the second stage, sources said, the doctors ask for cash or gifts. "Some of the most popular gifts are home appliances. Value of the freebies climbs up when the potential of the doctor is high in promoting the drugs or in prescribing investigations at the diagnostic laboratories," said sources.
They said that attending medical conferences with family in various locales is the in-thing. In fact, the country locations are not preferred and Europe and the US are the destinations in demand by the doctors. "While the conferences are sponsored events, many doctors get drug companies to sponsor their entire trip. Tickets, stay and local tours are all arranged for in a package. The doctor may only be attending the conference for half a day, perhaps," they said.
A former Health department doctor said that drugs for diabetes, hypertension and chronic renal diseases are sold in large volumes. "These drugs face the toughest competition in the market because of the large varieties available, and a doctor can be a big help in pushing up the sale of a favourite company," he said.
Another category of drugs that face tough competition is antibiotics. Cancer drugs and psychotropic drugs are others that require long-term use, bringing more brands and competition and price ranges, the doctor maintained.
However, it is a fact that not all medical practitioners take the gifts distributed by pharmaceutical companies.
A senior doctor posted in the SMHS hospital Srinagar said that most of the doctors in rural areas prescribe affordable medicines. "We have to look at the patients in total. There might not be compliance to the prescription if the patient cannot afford the medicines,"
However, doctors in urban areas may not know their patients' backgrounds and may prescribe costly medicines for some who may not be able to afford them, thereby indirectly serving the interests of the pharmaceutical companies.
"It is a well known fact that most pharmaceutical companies are spending more money on marketing activity than their research. Such activities by pharmaceutical or allied health sector companies definitely lead to a situation where a section of doctors prescribes unwanted costly medicines or investigations to meet the target of diagnostic laboratories and pharma companies," says a doctor.
It is more difficult to manage doctors than a hospital, says a hospital administrator. "The doctors are not happy if the hospital decides to have its own drug policy. They insist on having their meetings with medical representatives," he said and added that the laboratories too offer commissions "if we send in more work to them."
Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations have already declared it unlawful for doctors to receive gifts and freebies from drug-marketing companies.
The medical experts opine that such malpractices stem from lack of accountability in the medical profession. They say there is a poor deterrence against recalcitrant doctors and pharma companies.
According to MCI rules, a medical practitioner shall not accept any travel facility inside the country or outside, including rail, air, ship, cruise tickets, paid vacations etc. from any pharmaceutical or allied healthcare industry or their representatives for self and family members for vacation or for attending conferences, seminars, workshops, CME programme as a delegate. |
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