Government to scan drug stocks with doctors

New Delhi, Jan 2017:

Drug-controlling department has received many complaints regarding the misuse of drugs by doctors. The department now wants to make sure it's not easy for doctors to misuse the medicines given to the patients.

Now, it won't be easy for doctors to misuse the medicines given to them for their inward patients. With the drug-controlling department receiving a sea of complaints regarding the misuse of drugs by doctors, the department is going to review the exemption given to them in order to curb the misuse.

Doctors are provided with exemption under Schedule K from taking sale license by the Registered Medical Practitioners for supplying medicines, including vaccines to their patients. "We have received a slew of complaints against doctors who own nursing homes or a small hospital set up for stocking the medicines and not providing to their inward patients. Instead, they are making additional profit by running a chemist shop," Delhi's Drug Controlling officer Atul Nasa told MAIL TODAY.

These complaints are at pan-India level which patients have made against the doctors, said Nasa, adding, on an average, Delhi's drug department witnesses at least five to six complaints per month. The issue was taken up in the 50th meeting of Drugs Consultative Committee which was held recently, a copy of minutes is with the MAIL TODAY.

"The sub-committee has been set up to review the exemptions provided under Schedule K within and recommend the safeguards/amendments in the rules that may be needed to curb the misuse of the exemption," said Dr Mrinalini Darswal, commissioner, Drugs Control Administration.

"The committee would review the activities of clinics/nursing homes/regularly to monitor and verify the compliance with the conditions of the exemptions provided. The clinics/nursing homes - having more than one doctor - should be insisted to take sale license for stocking the medicines in their premises." Also, a proposal relating to the guidelines issued for taking an action on samples of drugs declared spurious or not-of-standard quality in the light of enhanced penalties.

An inter-state level committee has been formed to review the matter. Drug controller officers from states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are into the action.

As of now, for selling misleading and misbranding drugs, the department cancels the licenses for chemists' shops, but now, the drug department is considering some stringent action to create deterrence among drug manufacturers.

Earlier, MAIL TODAY has reported about the supply of spurious Shecal medicine in Delhi's Bhagirath Palace market. These fake medicines were sold with zero per cent vitamin D content. This medicine is prescribed by doctors for calcium and vitamin D.

In the meeting, the strengthening of drugs testing capacities in various states has also been discussed. "State laboratories, where strengthening/update with latest equipment is not happening, these laboratories could be adopted by the Centre in line with the RDTL, Guwahati model, which was handed over by the state to the central government. Till such time, the laboratories are strengthened, the licensing authorities can avail the testing facilities available with the Central Drug Testing Laboratories," it read. Indiatoday