Doctors oblivious of govt's list of cheaper medicines

Though it was launched with a noble aim, the scheme to provide the poor with cheap medicines has been lost in the Delhi government's official circulars

Though it was launched with a noble aim, the scheme to provide the poor with cheap medicines has been lost in the Delhi government's official circulars.

The state government had selected three hospitalsu00a0-- Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospitalu00a0-- in the pilot project to provide such drugs to those who cannot afford to buy them from private medical stores. The doctors posted there were asked to prescribe the Indian versions of some generic medicines for common ailments and infections.

But all of it has been lost in translation, as not even 10 per cent of the medicines are being administered to patients. The reason: doctors have lost track of the brand names under which these medicines are available within just three months.

While the government duly issued the circulars relating to introduction of the new medicines manufactured and promoted by Indian pharmaceutical companies, it forgot to inform the doctors of the brand names by which they were available in the market.

"We are still waiting to know the names of these generic medicines but no circular has come so far," said a Delhi government doctor on condition of anonymity. He further said some stores were also opened in the hospitals to provide these medicines but the whole scheme has come a cropper.

On an average, these hospitals are visited by 4,000 patients every day but according to sources in last three months less than 10 per cent patients have been prescribed these medicines. "No data is available as to how patients were prescribed the medicines but the figure is not very big," said the doctor.

The Other Side

The health department is sending regular circulars to the doctors to promote generic medicines. The situation will improve with time as we are planning aggressive campaigns to promote these medicines. The health department is regularly monitoring the availability and prescription of generic medicines.u00a0 -- Dr Kiran Walia, Health Minister, Delhi

The cost of generic medicines has been kept less than half as compared to those manufactured by multi-national companies.

Sources in the health department said the union government and the state health departments are keenly promoting the scheme.

"The problem arises because of the low production level. More than 20 per cent of the medicines for the common illnesses are still bought from outside and doctors are forced to prescribe the non-generic drugs due to short availability," said a health department official.

But the Delhi government is moving in the right direction as it is assuring increased production of the generic medicines and opening new counters for them in a few more hospitals simultaneously. The health department is running one such centre in Dabri in outer Delhi.