Close on the heels of the Rajasthan government's directives to the doctors in the government hospitals to prescribe generic drugs, the union health ministry has directed the doctors in the central government hospitals and autonomous institutions falling under the health ministry to prescribe cheaper generic substitutes to the patients. A separate cell has been formed in the ministry to monitor the issue.
Informed sources in the Union health ministry said that the ministry's action in this regard comes in the wake of union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's special instructions to senior health ministry officials to make it mandatory for the doctors in the government hospitals and the autonomous institutions of the ministry to prescribe generic substitute while writing the prescriptions.
Sources said that the minister was concerned over the increasing complaints from the patients that the doctors in the central government hospitals and autonomous institutions in the country were prescribing specific brands of medicines quite often with a rider that no substitute should be supplied. There were complaints galore from the public that while the doctors were prescribing expensive branded drugs, cheaper substitutes were available. The minister wrote a special note to the senior officials to address the issue immediately, sources said.
The directorate general of health services in the Union health ministry will regularly monitor the prescriptions to verify compliance with the ministry's instructions to the doctors.
“It has been observed that doctors in the central government hospitals, and autonomous institutions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare prescribe specific brands of medicines quite often with a rider that no substitute should be supplied. Instances have also come to notice where the prescribed drug was very expensive and cheaper substitutes were available. However, the patient did not have any choice but to procure the prescribed drug.
“The matter has been considered by the Competent Authority. It is observed that generic drugs are usually much cheaper than branded drugs. Therefore, Central government hospitals must provide only good quality generic medicines. It has, therefore, been decided that whenever any branded drug is prescribed in the above mentioned institutions, it shall invariably also be mentioned that any other equivalent generic drug could also be provided. For instance, if the prescription is for tablet Crocin, then the prescription should read as 'Tab Crocin' or any other equivalent generic drug. The hospital would then give the flexibility of providing generic equivalents of the prescribed medicine”, the health ministry in its order said.
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