Srinagar: Welcoming the government decision to start prescription audit in hospitals, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that it is an instrument to enhance the quality of health care and ensure the safety of patients.
President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that auditing of prescriptions will improve the quality of life by enhancing the standards of medical treatment at all levels of health care delivery system.
“There will be clear lines of accountability and auditing will end the practice of irrational prescribing of drugs. Irrationality in prescription is a common and rampant feature in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Prescriptions are full of irrational and unnecessary drugs,” he said.
Dr Nisar said the irrational practices not only increase the cost of prescription but lead to widespread health hazards such as increased incidence of adverse effects.
He said antibiotics frequently find their way in prescription for viral diarrheas where simple fluid replacement works. Also, antibiotics instead of antivirals are commonly used for flu.
He said this unethical practice of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing has led to worrisome drug resistance. “It is observed that fanciful vitamins and tonics are unnecessarily prescribed and are essentially put in prescription to get a favor from pharma companies. There is increased incidence of breast cancer due to the inappropriate use of oral contraceptives,” he said.
The doctor said there are thousands of brands of unhealthy combinations and pharma companies promote them and are luring medical practitioners to prescribe.
Citing WHO, in its document “Rational Medicine Use” states that half of all the medicines prescribed are inappropriate, he said there is ample evidence demonstrating there is a gap between the health care that patients receive and the practice that is recommended. (PTK)
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