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Written By: Agencies | Updated : October 22, 2013 5:00 PM IST
Soon, doctors will have to follow a set of strict guidelines while writing a medical prescription. The guidelines include mentioning the generic and brand name of medicines, branch of medication (ayurveda, homeopathy, allopathy, etc) and the doctors' registration numbers.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of formulating the guidelines which will ensure safe prescriptions for patients. The officials recently met representatives from associations like modern medicine, ayurveda and unani to finalise the details.
Dr Jayesh Lele, general secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Maharashtra said, 'To have a patient-friendly prescription, we are drafting guidelines on how to write good prescriptions. For example, it will become compulsory for doctors to mention the generic names of the drugs they prescribe, so that patients can avail cheaper medicines.'
FDA officials drafted the guidelines after a two-hour long meeting with the representatives of IMA and other medical associations on Thursday. (Read: Printouts to replace hand-written prescriptions in Bengal soon)
'We discussed making it mandatory for doctors to write their registration numbers and council they belong to. This will help the patients know which branch of medicine and council the doctor belongs to in case a patient wants to register a complaint,' said Dr Anil Pachnekar, president, IMA, Maharashtra.
According to sources, the guidelines for writing a prescription will also include requirements for chemists while dispensing medicines to patients.
'Doctors prescribe medicines for a certain number of days. Chemists should ensure they dispense the drugs for the same period and stamp the prescription, so that patients don't re-use the prescription to buy the same drugs from other chemists,' said Dr Pachnekar.
The consulting group of doctors and FDA officials will meet again in another 10 days to finale the guidelines before they are circulated to all medical practitionners. No consensus, however, was drawn on the illegible handwriting that most doctors pen their prescriptions in.
'There were suggestions on making doctors write the prescription in capital letters, so it becomes easier for chemists to understand. But we are yet to take a final call. Some doctors prefer giving printouts to be legible,' said Dr Lele.
Drug dossier
The guidelines include mentioning the generic and brand name of medicines, branch of medication (ayurveda, homeopathy, allopathy, etc) and the doctors' registration numbers.
They will also be making it mandatory for doctors to write their registration numbers and council they belong to. This will help the patients know which branch of medicine and council the doctor belongs to in case a patient wants to register a complaint. No consensus, however, was drawn on the illegible handwriting that most doctors pen their prescription. (Read: Understanding your doctor's prescription)
Source: DNA/Somita Pal
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