JAIPUR, 10 MARCH: A government doctor was suspended in Bikaner on Friday for allegedly prescribing branded medicine to the patients and also forcing the patients to purchase the medicines from drug shops outside the hospital.
It is the first case in which a doctor was suspended by the medical health and family welfare department for prescribing branded medicine since the state government launched the chief minister free medicine scheme in the state on October 2 last year. After the launch, the state government had directed the government doctors to prescribe generic medicines only under the scheme.
Principal secretary health B N Sharma said Dr P C Tanwar posted at Nokha government hospital has been suspended with immediate effect for prescribing branded medicines regularly to the patients.
Sharma said the department had received many complaints earlier also against the doctor for forcing patients to buy medicines from outside the hospital by prescribing them branded medicines.
After receiving the complaints, the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation investigated the matter and sought complete information from Bikaner's chief medical health officer (CMHO), deputy CMHO and block chief medical officer.
Sharma said in the initial investigation it was found that the accused doctor was prescribing branded medicines. Also, he was prescribing branded medicines in place of the generic medicines which were available at the hospital free of cost.
As a result, the patients had to purchase the branded medicines from outside the hospital.
The free medicine scheme was launched by chief minister Ashok Gehlot last year with an aim to provide free medicines to the patients. Under the scheme, drug distribution centres were opened at all government hospitals to dispense free generic medicines to the patients and the state government also directed its doctors to prescribe generic medicines only.
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