PANAJI
A confrontation of sorts is brewing between the government and privately practicing medical professionals in the country with their apex body Indian Medical Association (IMA) questioning the latest “prescribe generic drugs only” fiat issued by National Medical Commission.
The IMA headquarters in Delhi issued a statement on Monday asking the government to defer implementation of the NMC regulation on generic drugs and hold wider consultations on this vital issue in healthcare before a final decision.
IMA said the NMC guideline to doctors to henceforth prescribe only generic drugs is like asking a train to run without the tracks in place. It said, the uncertainty of the quality of generic drugs is the biggest impediment to implement the NMC directive.
“Less than 0.1 percent of the drugs that are manufactured in India are tested for quality. Prescribing generic drugs without quality would be detrimental to patients,” the IMA said.
“Patient care and safety are not negotiable,” IMA said from Delhi, and demanded a full proof system of quality assurance before switching wholesale to generic drugs.
Meanwhile, IMA Goa State Secretary, Dr Sandip Naik, said the NMC diktat to prescribe only generic drugs will make the pharmacist/trader the ultimate arbiter on the question of prescribing medicine to patients, elimination the medical professional.
“Patients rely on doctors, who are trained, concerned and responsible for their health. This measure shifts the choice for the patients to seek advice on medicines from doctors to the pharmacist/chemist selling the drugs,” Dr Naik told The Goan.
On the question that doctors are accused of being influenced by incentives they receive from pharma companies to push certain drugs, Naik shot back saying it is those in the government thrive on illegal gratification from the thousands of companies who are not fully regulated.
“Why are so many drug companies coming up almost every month? Most of them just package and sell at widely varying prices. Doctors have nothing to do with it,” Dr Naik said.
