Doc repatriated to parent cadre for prescribing branded medicines

The UT health department in January this year had issued an advisory note via a letter to all the doctors in the health facilities of the Chandigarh Administration to comply with the National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations on ‘Generic Medicine and Prescription Guidelines’. It was also advised that in exceptional circumstances where branded medicines are prescribed, a date-wise diary may be maintained specifying the reasons for prescribing branded generic drugs.

The advisory note, according to Health Secretary Yashpal Garg, was reiterated in an inspection note in April this year.

According to Garg, as part of regular inspections, it was observed that despite repeated instructions to prescribe generic medicines, one doctor in GMSH-16 continued prescribing 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, the doctor started prescribing generic medicines on the OPD card but also started issuing unsigned small slips to the patients with the name of branded medicines.