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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | ‘Doctors not following free medicine supply scheme rules'

‘Doctors not following free medicine supply scheme rules'

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published Published on Jun 17, 2012   modified Modified on Jun 17, 2012
-The Hindu

About 40 networks and civil society groups from 16 districts of Rajasthan on Saturday demanded that the flagship free medicine supply scheme at government hospitals in the State be brought under an independent legislation or included in the Rajasthan Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, to remove bottlenecks being faced for the past eight months.

Activists under the banner of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan praised the scheme for its reach and objectives, but expressed their concern over the fact that even eight months after the scheme was introduced, doctors were still prescribing branded medicines in contravention of new rules for giving generic drugs to patients.

The ambitious scheme, brought into force at the instance of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, stipulates prescription of generic medicines to all patients visiting the out-patient department (OPD) at government hospitals and health centres.

In a memorandum addressed to Mr. Gehlot, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan pointed out that the branded medicines were being prescribed despite better and generic versions of the same drugs being supplied under the scheme.

Even though systems have been put in place and protocols for action circulated among the health service providers, doctors and para-medical staff are flouting the scheme's provisions and coercing patients into buying medicines by citing “misleading and unsubstantiated reasons”, said Abhiyan convenor Narendra Gupta.

“This fact has come up very vividly in the studies conducted by voluntary group Prayas and People's Union for Civil Liberties in Chittaurgarh and Jaipur districts. A weak monitoring system may be held responsible for this, but the main reasons essentially are rigid mind-sets of health service providers and the unethical allure of quick money,” said the memorandum.

Patients are still compelled to buy medicines at heavy costs which otherwise should have been provided to them for free. On the other hand, the State Government has already procured drugs in sufficient quantities to meet the demands of medicines for majority of diseases.

Chhaya Pachauli of Jaipur-based Centre for Health Equity said that if the doctors continue to prescribe alternative drugs in place of free generic medicines, the drugs which have already been procured would remain unused and expire only to be thrown afterwards.

“Once the scheme is brought under a legislation or under the Public Services Guarantee Act, such irrational practices by doctors would certainly reduce and greater accountability and answerability would be levied on health service providers,” stated the memorandum, and went on to request the Chief Minister to take prompt action in this regard.

Other signatories to the memorandum include Rajesh Singhi of Ibtada, Alwar, Ram Vilas Kumawat of Marwar Seva Sansthan, Nagaur, Hitesh Gupta of Vatsalya, Jaipur, O. P. Kulhari of the Centre for Unfolding Learning Potentials, Jaipur, Arvind Ojha of Urmul, Bikaner, and Hariprasad Yogi of the Consumer Legal Health Society, Sawai Madhopur.

The Hindu, 17 June, 2012, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3538069.ece


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