Doctor Prescribes Branded Medicine Despite warning, Chandigarh Health Dept repatriates him to parent cadre in another State
Chandigarh: Taking action against a government doctor for prescribing branded medicines to patients despite warning, the Health Department of Chandigarh has repatriated the doctor on deputation for about nine years to his parent cadre in another State.
Apart from this, the UT Health Department is also taking action to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the concerned doctor belonging to Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh (GMSH-16). The doctor from the ENT Department had been in the city for the last nine years, sources informed TOI.
Even though the doctor had earlier been advised against his practice of prescribing branded medicine to the patients, the concerned doctor started prescribing branded medicine in small unsigned slips.
Even the National Medical Commission (NMC) had earlier stressed upon the practice of prescribing generic names of medicines. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that last year, NMC had released the draft Prescription guidelines and advised that doctors should prescribe medicines with "generic"/"non-proprietary"/"pharmacological" names only.
The Prescription guidelines form an integral part of the draft of the National Medical Commission Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2022 released by NMC.
Besides noting that "generic"/"non-proprietary"/"pharmacological" names have to be prescribed, the guidelines reiterate the point by again stating that physicians should "Avoid prescribing "branded" generic drugs". The guidelines however lay down that In the case of drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, biosimilars, and similar other exceptional cases, this practice can be relaxed.
Since the Apex Medical Body recommended Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) disciplinary action for the violation of this rule of prescribing generic medicines, the doctors might get warnings and instructions or advisories that can be issued in this regard. However, if charged under Level 2 violation, their license can be suspended for up to one month, as specified in the Regulations.
Following the NMC regulations, back in January this year, the Chandigarh Health Department had also issued an advisory note via a letter to all the doctors in the health facilities of the UT Administration to comply with the NMC regulations on "Generic Medicine and Prescription Guidelines".
Apart from this, the Health Department had also advised that in exceptional circumstances where branded medicines are prescribed, it is required to maintain a date-wise diary specifying the reasons for prescribing branded generic drugs.
As per the latest media report by Indian Express, Health Secretary Yashpal Garg has informed that the inspection note was reiterated in April this year. Garh further mentioned that as part of the regular inspections, it was observed that despite repeated instructions to prescribe generic medicine, one doctor belonging to GMSH-16 continued the practice of prescribing branded medicines.
However, when a senior doctor of the hospital objected to it and advised the concerned doctor not to prescribe branded medicines, the doctor admitted the mistake. Further, the doctor had also given assurance in writing that branded medicines would not be prescribed in future.
After one week, it was found that the doctor had started prescribing generic medicines on the OPD card but at the same time, was issuing unsigned small slips to the patients with the name of branded medicines.
“When a senior doctor of GMSH-16 objected and advised not to prescribe branded medicines, the doctor admitted the mistake and assured in writing that branded medicines would not be prescribed in future. However about one week later, it was observed that the doctor started prescribing generic medicines on an OPD card but also started issuing small unsigned slips to patients with the name of branded medicines. It seems that the unique idea of issuing small slips indicating branded medicines was invented to derail the efforts of the Chandigarh administration of encouraging prescription of generic medicines and also for other reasons not yet known,” UT Health Secretary Yashpal Garg told the Times of India.
Following this, the UT Health Department has taken action and decided to repatriate the doctor to the parent cadre, Haryana. Commenting on this, UT Health Secretary Yashpal Garg, “Further, action is being taken to initiate appropriate disciplinary proceedings against the doctor.”
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