L
India's National Medical Commission (NMC) has lifted a ban on doctors prescribing branded medicines, after facing opposition from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations.
The NMC had originally issued a regulation in August 2023 requiring doctors to prescribe generic medicines only. The regulation was met with widespread criticism from doctors and pharmaceutical companies, who argued that it would restrict patient choice and harm the quality of healthcare.
IMA president Dr. Rajan Sharma welcomed the decision to lift the ban, saying it was "a victory for patient rights." He added that the NMC should focus on improving the quality of medical education and training, rather than trying to micromanage doctors' prescribing practices.
The NMC has said that it will continue to promote the use of generic medicines, but that doctors will now be allowed to prescribe branded medicines if they believe they are in the best interests of their patients.
The decision to lift the ban is a setback for the NMC's efforts to reduce the cost of healthcare in India. Generic medicines are typically much cheaper than branded medicines, and their use could help to make healthcare more affordable for millions of Indians.
However, the decision is likely to be welcomed by doctors and pharmaceutical companies, who have long argued that the NMC's generic medicine regulation was too restrictive.
Today, doctors are under the influence of the branded medicine lobby and both the doctors and branded medicine lobby are guided by promoting their profit to the maximum level. They are not concerned to to make healthcare more affordable for millions of Indians.
It is clear that branded pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in promoting their products. They spend billions of dollars on marketing and advertising, and they often target doctors with gifts, trips, and other incentives.
In these situation, most of the doctors have simply become puppets of the pharmaceutical industry.