Goa Medical Council releases guidelines for prescription writing and handling of prescription medicines
Sachin Jagdale – Mumbai
Goa Medical Council recently published guidelines for prescription writing and handling of prescriptions and prescription medicines. The guidelines for prescription writing and handling have been drafted based on existing laws. However, as the regulatory documents do not cover all the aspects, the stakeholders have drawn out guidelines based on legal implications, social and moral principals, and responsibilities of all those involved in prescription writing as well as prescription dispensing. Laxmikant Parsekar, Health Minister, Goa, was present to release the guidelines, besides a large number of medical fraternities and pharmacists.
All the stake holders in Goa namely, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) – Goa branch, The Chemist and Druggist Association, Goa, Voluntary Health Association, Goa Medical Council, Indian Medical Association—Margao branch, as well as the Private Medical Practitioner Association in Goa for the last two years had been involved in a series of deliberation to put in place a guideline document for all in respect of writing proper prescription. It will also ensure that the medical fraternity does not encourage patient in to purchase of drugs without prescription and also creating an awareness in the rationale use of drugs. Avoiding in-discriminate use of drugs is also one of the purposes to set up these guidelines. Indiscrimate use of drugs lead to drug resistance and forcing doctors to prescribe the second and the third generation of drugs. Safety of these drugs can be real issues from the patient’s safety point of view.
Patient’s safety is a widely discussed topic in the global arena. The General Medical Council, UK, changed its stated role from ‘Registration of Doctors and Regulating Medical Education’, to ‘Protecting Patients and Guiding Doctors’. The UK now has National Safety Agency (NPSA). Australia has its Australian Patients Safety Foundation and India has established the National Institute for Patients Safety (NIPS).
Salim Veljee, Director, FDA, Goa said, “This is the first of its kind initiative in the country, which documents a lot of guidelines of prescription writing.”
“These guidelines will benefit the doctors in ensuring proper discipline, pharmacist in compliance to the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules 1945 and overall the patient in safe use of drugs,” asserts, Dr Shekhar Salkar, President, Goa Medical Council.
- Advertisement -
