Checking on prescriptions will be undertaken unexpectedly in government hospitals.

The medical community has long been plagued by allegations of unethical behaviour, such as promoting specific pharmaceutical companies’ products in exchange for favours.

For unneeded tests, some doctors even send their patients to private labs.

In response to many reports that some doctors in Kerala’s government hospitals are writing prescriptions for medications that are already on hand, a prescription audit has now been mandated.

There have been numerous accusations that doctors push medicines that aren’t available, requiring patients to regularly purchase them elsewhere.

It is clear that influential pharmaceutical companies influence doctors who engage in such unethical behaviour.

Some doctors are apparently issuing prescriptions for medications made by other corporations instead of those that are provided without charge, even for super-specialty care at medical institutions.

The State Health Department is prepared to conduct an audit to verify the prescriptions of doctors at all government hospitals, including the medical colleges, in order to stop this practise.

An expert team under the direction of the directors of the health department and of medical education will audit the prescriptions.

The prescriptions from the doctors would be examined at each institution within a set amount of time. The hospitals would also undergo unexpected inspections.

Last year, the State spent Rs 660 crore on the purchase of medications for public hospitals.

Only the medications of businesses that prevail in the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. tender process are purchased for hospital pharmacies.

The prescription audit would help identify the medications that are frequently provided by the majority of doctors, it was determined at a high-level conference chaired by State Health Minister Veena George.

Additionally, to offer these for free at the hospital store.

The doctors themselves were previously instructed to write the generic name of the medications in order to curb the companies’ excessive influence.