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Writing salt name and stamping prescriptions

ESS AHMAD. Dated: 11/19/2017 11:59:35 PM

Doctors in rural hospitals don't give damn about directive

ANANTNAG, Nov 19: Authorities earlier this year had issued a circular asking the doctors to write salt name on the prescriptions instead of brand name.
The circular had also directed the doctors to write the prescriptions neatly in capital letters to that any one, particularly the chemists, can read them easily. Doctors had also been asked to stamp their prescriptions.
The directive was aimed to put a check on the spurious drugs being prescribed by the doctors. However, nearly a year after the directive came, doctors in the rural hospitals continue to ignore the directions. Doctors posted at major district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and other health centres continue to write only the brand names of medicines on prescriptions.
Dozens of prescriptions checked by this reporter during the last three days are so much illegible that even the pharmacists can hardly read them. None of the prescriptions bears the stamp of any doctor.
"A separate circular was issued by the hospital administration three months ago asking the doctors to abide by the government directive with regard to writing prescriptions but not a single doctor has given any heed to the circular," said an insider.
In other hospitals like DH Kulgam or Pulwama too, doctors continue to ignore the government directive. "The directive, if followed in all the hospitals, will surely help in curbing the sale of spurious or sub-standard drugs as the neatly written prescriptions bearing doctors' stamp will make doctors accountable," said an official of the health department.
He said that the hospital administration and top health officers of the district have bitterly failed to implement the directive in their respective districts and hospitals.
Another official said that the directive, if implemented, will also help to check if the doctors are prescribing those drugs to the patients available in hospitals under free drug policy or not.
However, some doctors posted in various south Kashmir hospitals believe that stamping prescriptions or writing salt names instead of brand name is no way going to curb the availability of spurious or sub-standard drugs.
"Now pharmacists ensure the availability of drugs, both standard and sub-standard. If you write only salt name you never know what stuff is procured. Only the drug department can curb the menace of spurious drugs by testing them before they reach the market," said a doctor.
Commissioner Secretary Pawan Kotwal and Director Health, Kashmir, Dr Saleem-u-Rehman did not respond to repeated calls.