Hyderabad: Govt hospital doctors face heat over prescription of medicines

Hyderabad: Doctors in the government hospitals will now have to maintain a register of medicines available in the hospital so as to prescribe medicines which are only available in the hospital and not prescribe medicines which are to be purchased from outside.

Of late the State government has been strict on the prescriptions given by doctors. Health Minister T Harish Rao, during a surprise visit to a hospital, took a senior doctor to task for prescribing medicines and asking the patient to purchase it from outside. The doctors had opposed this move as they alleged that there was shortage of important medicines, at times there is shortage of life saving drugs in the hospital pharmacy. Doctors had even questioned the presence of the private medical halls inside the government premises.

To overcome the problem, the health department has decided to have a system of register of medicines. A senior official said that the superintendents of major hospitals have been given a list of medicines to be prescribed to the patients. They have asked to ensure that no one writes medicines which is to be purchased from outside, all the medicines should be given free of cost to the patients from the hospital.

The official said that the problem arises because most of the doctors write the brand names of the medicines instead of writing generic names of the medicines. According to clause 1.5 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, every physician should, as far as possible, prescribe drugs with generic names.

Sources said that the supply of medicines also has an impact on the distribution in the government hospitals. Once indent is prepared, it takes at least two months to 80 days to get the medicines, hence the doctors are made to write the medicines which are to be purchased from outside.

The Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) Chairman Errolla Srinivas said that there should not be a problem of shortage of medicines in government hospitals because the superintendents have been directed to utilise 20 per cent of the HDF for procuring medicines. Doctors are strictly asked to write generic medicines and not prescribe medicines which are to be purchased from outside, said Srinivas.