Farooz Ahmad Lone
Srinagar, July 29 (KNB): Breaking the professional code of ethics, most of the doctors in Kashmir recommend private laboratory medical tests and prescribe medicines by brand rather than generic name to their patients.
While doing injustice to the profession, as per reports, the government doctors almost all over in the valley of Kashmir, including the high profile doctors as well, recommend private laboratory tests which are either run by them directly or indirectly through hired specialists or they, the private reserve for them a specific percentage of charged fee as commission and therefore adding to the patient’s expenditure-burden.
The Kashmir News Bureau reporters further revealed that this is not the single way of breaking the ethical set of laws, they in a similar way prescribe medicines by brand name where as they are supposed to prescribe by generic name. In comparison with generic medicines, brand name medicines are expensive thus mounting the expenditure-burden further.
While talking to patients who approached the Kashmir News Bureau, they said, “It’s Very Unfortunate that the doctors of the well known public medical institutes of the Valley refer patients to private labs for medical tests which make the poor patients, who cannot afford due to lack of enough monetary resources, suffer economically as well as mentally”
They further said that the “government doctors” do not prescribe medicines which are available in the government Hospitals they work in and which can be provided to the patients.
When KNB contacted Dr. Nisar ul Hassan President of Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), he said, “When a patient is admitted in a govt. hospital, it’s the obligation and duty of the hospital to take care of him holistically and comprehensively, whether he needs medicines or (medical) tests, it should be done inside the Hospital not outside.”
Dr. Nasir added,“I don’t deny the presence of such element (doctors) that have nexus with laboratory people, drug companies and they take commission as well and such doctors should be brought to book. But the height is that it’s being promoted as there is no accountability, the administration is not taking action against such doctors and if there is no action that means there is huge deep rooted nexus going on. (KNB)