Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 3: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today called for prescription audit in hospitals of Kashmir valley that will ensure quality of health care and safety of patients.
DAK President, Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that auditing of prescriptions will curb the practice of unnecessary and irrational prescribing of drugs which is a common and rampant feature in the valley.
He said the most important part of health care system is to deliver the right medicine to the right people but this does not happen.
“The prescriptions are full of unwanted drugs and they are largely influenced by pharmacy companies,” he said.
He said doctors prescribe antibiotics for cold and flu that are caused by viruses against which antibiotics have no effect. Antibiotics frequently find their way in prescriptions for viral diarrheas where simple fluid replacement works. Patients with asthma and allergies are given antibiotics, even though they are not helped by taking these drugs. “Unnecessary use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of deadly bugs that are killing patients,” he said.
He said there are thousands of brands of unhealthy combinations and pharmacy companies promote them and are luring medical practitioners to prescribe them.
Dr Nisar said the prescription audit will ensure doctors prescribe cheaper generic drugs instead of costly branded drugs that will make drugs accessible to poor who cannot afford expensive drugs.
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