Holding back NMC’s directive mandating generic medicine prescriptions welcomed by doctors

Doctors expressed their approval of the recent decision made by the National Medical Commission (NMC) to stall its directive mandating doctors to prescribe generic medicines to patients.

Health Ministry withdraws fiat mandating doctors prescribe only generic drugs

The NMC’s Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) gazette notification, issued on August 2, has been put on hold with immediate effect as of August 21. This move has been met with widespread support from the medical fraternity, which had concerns that the proposed regulations would shift the balance of power from physicians to pharmacists.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the dignity of the medical profession and vowed to continue working towards providing accessible and cost-effective healthcare for citizens.

“The NMC, before making such regulations, should take the opinion of doctors, who are crucial stakeholders in the country’s healthcare policies. The commission should adopt a gradual approach to policy changes over time,” said Dr. Kiran Madala, convenor of the IMA-Telangana Scientific Committee.

The suspension of the regulation should not be viewed as a victory or defeat but rather a responsible decision by the NMC and Ministry of Health, said Dr. Ranga Reddy Burri, president of Infection Control Academy of India. He suggested that the original regulations may not have thoroughly considered the potential consequences and called for comprehensive consultations with all stakeholders to develop an effective and implementable policy.

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Dr. Reddy further pointed out that the core issue does not solely lie in prescribing generic or branded drugs but rather in a more profound underlying problem: to ensure quality medication at an affordable price. He proposed that the government should encourage manufacturers to exclusively produce generic drugs, which would naturally address the issue. If this option is unavailable, he argued, the industry will self-regulate in response to market demands.

“The NMC should utilise this interim period to gather extensive information and insights before reconsidering the decision. In doing so, the NMC can ensure that any future policy effectively serves the interests of both healthcare providers and patients,” he added.