Notice to 400 doctors in HP for indulging in unethical practices
CRACKDOWN Were receiving heavy incentives from pharma firms
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The doctors who were issued a notice were let off with a warning and the government will keep a strict watch on them.
VIPIN SINGH PARMAR, Himachal Pradesh health minister
SHIMLA : Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday issued a notice to 400 doctors for indulging in unethical practice and conniving with branded pharmaceutical companies to prescribe drugs to benefit them.
When asked about the government’s action on curbing the growing nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies, health minister Vipin Singh Parmar said, “The doctors who were issued a notice have been let off with warning and the government will keep a strict vigil on them.”
It was found that the doctors’ prescribe expensive drugs of certain branded companies which are available only in private chemist shops. In return, they receive a heavy incentive and tour packages from the pharma companies.
The state government has made it mandatory for doctors in Himachal Pradesh to prescribe generic medicines. However, they were not following the rules and resorted to unethistudies. cal practices in connivance with the pharmaceutical companies.
SHORTAGE OF 276 DOCTORS IN STATE
The health minister said there is a shortage of 276 doctors in the state. He said the shortage occurs since postgraduate students studying in the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda and other medical colleges prefer to go abroad instead serving in the state.
He said the government tried various ways to overcome the problem, like keeping the bond amount paid by the students so that they offer their services in the state after completing their Parmar said the state government is now coming up with a new policy according to which the medical colleges will keep the degrees of the students for a period of three to five years according to the contract so that the students offer their services in the state.
He said to overcome the shortage of doctors IGMC, Shimla and Tanda medical college will conduct interviews in December to hire 250 new doctors from the batch of 100 students from each medical institute. Parmar said the government will also be reducing the bond money, which was ₹10 lakh earlier and also the time period of the bond from five years to three years.
OTHER POLICIES IN REVIEW
The health minister said Himcare will be increasing the recovery amount in health issues from ₹30,000 to ₹5 lakh. He said 2.5 lakh people are covered under the scheme and the government’s target is to cover 2.5 lakh more people.