BENGALURU: Government hospital doctors will get their salary this month only if they sign a declaration stating that they won't prescribe medicines from private pharmacies is submitted. A Health Department circular to this effect was issued on Thursday.
“If this declaration is violated, the department is contemplating dismissal of doctors,” said Principal Health Secretary Shalini Rajneesh.
“If drugs aren't available in government pharmacies, it can be procured from Drug Logistics Society through an online indent. It can also be directly obtained from Jan Aushadi stores where generic drugs are available. If drug logistics fails to supply any drug indented by doctors the hospital can use Arogya Raksha Samiti funds to procure the drug locally,” she said.
She stressed that only 80 per cent funds have been utilised by hospitals in the past year and that they should be used to procure drugs.
K S Manjunath, medical superintendent, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital said, “Except in rare cases where we require drugs for ICU, almost everything is available in the hospital. Doctors have to make it a habit to prescribe brands available in the hospital that are procured by the government through tenders. Also, what brand is best for the patient is a very subjective thing.”
C N Manjunath, director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, said, “Though this circular isn't applicable to super specialty hospitals like ours, I think this is an impulsive decision. Supply from Drug Logistics Society is erratic. We need to look at bioavailability, potency, efficacy and impurity content in every drug. In India, there is no continuous quality assessment of drugs. If one batch is of good quality, another is not. Also, it should be at the patient’s discretion if he/she wants to be treated with generic drugs. Personally, I wouldn't go for generic drugs.”
Manjunath said that local purchases may take time and patients shouldn't be kept waiting for the want of drugs.