Will ensure doctors prescribe low cost generic medicines: PM

The health ministry had issued notification making it mandatory for all the pharma companies to carry the name of drugs at least two fonts larger than the brand name.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the government had fixed prices for as many as medicines for the benefit of the people as part of a comprehensive healthcare policy.

While inaugurating a multi-speciality hospital in Surat, Modi said,''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''. He further said,''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''.

According to the experts, more than 70% of the over Rs 1 lakh crore domestic pharmaceutical market is dominated by branded generics, whereas patented drugs make up to 9%.

Modi also said that his government understands the value of a healthy society and had been taking one step after another so that poor people and middle class get quality health services.

Recently, the health ministry had issued notification making it mandatory for all the pharma companies to carry the name of drugs at least two fonts larger than the brand name.

They have also issued orders to asking the doctors to write prescriptions with generic names of medicines and in legible hand writing. Modi also assured that the government will continue to take steps in welfare of common man.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)