November 2016
Recent notification by MCI, created some buzz in surroundings. The notification states, “Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters.”
Already in many government hospitals, this fair practice is performed. Though there is a wheeze in this rule that “Every physician should” not "Every Physician must or shall". Doctors may take it as recommended guidelines by MCI but not mandatory ones. Big pharma companies has multitude of medical representatives to promote their brand to doctors and this rule suggest pharmacists have rights to dispatch or assign or prescribe (in small extent) brand instead of doctors.
As a pharmacist I can say how I feel, really great! But are pharmacists ready for this? Because in country like India all brands are not therapeutically equal. Pharmacists must need more training for brand assignment and thinking of health care profession, patients and pharmaceutical industry will be shifted for sure, if doctors will start writing generic names that too in capital.
Revised Healthcare Policy is the need of time which should focus on more transparency & accountability along with optimum use of digitization & technology. But how medical fraternity will adopt to it, is a big question?
On behalf of editorial team, I sincerely thank all authors for sharing their views and research with us. Hope we will receive similar support in future also
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