Chandigarh doctors told to record reasons for prescribing branded medicines
Chandigarh health secretary Yashpal Garg has directed doctors to prescribe generic medicines and record explanations for each branded medicine they prescribe.
“All the health facilities and doctors of the Chandigarh administration are hereby advised to comply with the Nation Medical Council guidelines. In exceptional circumstances where branded medicines are prescribed, a date-wise diary may be maintained by all the physicians specifying reasons for prescribing branded drugs,” reads his directive. It will help the doctors deal with all sorts of allegations, he added.
In a letter to all health department heads, he stated that “access to quality and affordable healthcare is at the core of various initiatives and policies of the Chandigarh administration, and promoting generic medicines is important to improve medicine access and reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of the public.”
“Generic medicines are effective substitutes with the same clinical benefits/therapeutics effect as branded medicines as they have the same active ingredient, same strength, bioequivalent, dosage form (such as a tablet/injectable), and route of administration. As a regulatory measure, the National Medical Commission has circulated Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations 2022. These regulations include Generic Medicine and Prescription Guidelines to reduce out-of-pocket spending on medications, which account for a major proportion of public spending on healthcare, as generic medicines are 30-80% cheaper than branded drugs. Prescribing generic medicines may bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care,” he wrote in the letter.
The health secretary also reminded them to “prescribe drugs with generic/nonproprietary/pharmacological names only”. “However in the case of drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, biosimilars and similar other exceptional cases, this practice can be relaxed, and avoid prescribing “branded” generic drugs. Educate medical students, patients and the public regarding the equivalence of generic medicine with their branded counterparts,” he wrote quoting some other guidelines.
The physicians have also been asked to upload a list of available generic medicines on the websites of their clinics or hospitals.
The top official also wanted all chemists on the premises of government health facilities to stock generic medicines. They “may incorporate a clause to ensure the availability of generic medicines” in all future tenders.
The director of health and family welfare has been directed to dispel public perceptions about the quality and efficacy of generic medicines.
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