Doctors not prescribing generic drugs to face licence suspension

New Delhi, August 12

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has mandated doctors to prescribe generic medicines or face action, which could include suspension of their practice licence for a given period.

In new regulations to promote generic medicines over expensive branded ones, the NMC also asked doctors to write prescriptions legibly and provided a format in which they could write their prescriptions. “Medical practitioners should prescribe only those generic medicines that are easily available in market. They should also advocate for hospitals and local pharmacies to stock generic drugs,” regulations say. They add that doctors should encourage patients to purchase drugs from government’s Jan Aushadhi Kendras and other generic pharmacy outlets, and educate medical students and people about the equivalence of generic medicine with their branded counterparts. “Generic medicines are 30 to 80 % cheaper than branded drugs. Prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care,” the NMC said.

NMC to act tough

• The NMC has mandated doctors to prescribe generic medicines or face action
• Generic names should be legible on prescriptions and drugs should be easily available
• Upon violation, a doctor can be warned; repeat violation can lead to suspension of licence