(TOI)
In a major step to break the nexus between pharmaceutical companies and doctors pushing expensive branded medicines, PM Narendra Modi on Monday said that the government would put in place a legal framework to ensure doctors prescribe low cost generic medicines to patients.
“Doctors write prescriptions in such a way that poor people do not understand the handwriting and he has to buy that medicine from private stores at high prices,” Modi said while inaugurating a multi-speciality hospital in Surat. “We will bring in a legal framework by which if a doctor writes a prescription, he has to write in it that it will be enough for patients to buy generic medicines and he need not buy any other medicines”.
Experts say more than 70% of the over Rs 1 lakh crore domestic pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generics, whereas patented drugs make up 9%. As with demonetisation+ , the PM sought to underline that he was ready to take on influential interests to push for “pro-poor” causes. “We have done this work, and you can imagine how angry the manufacturers of medicines will be. Despite the wrath of a very powerful lobby, the government is taking one step after another so that poor people and middle class get quality health services,” Modi said.
