Medical Prescription to be clear

New Delhi, April 22: As a part of PM Modi's announcements, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued notices to all physicians and doctors in the country on Friday, to prescribe drugs only by generic names and warned of disciplinary action against doctors violating the code.

MCI's latest notification assumes importance in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating earlier this week that the government is contemplating to bring in a law that makes it compulsory for doctors to prescribe drugs by generic names against the existing practice of writing brand names in prescriptions.

The decision should be made to regulate the all medical education and registered doctors in the country.

"All the registered medical practitioners under the IMC Act are directed to comply with the aforesaid provisions of the Regulations without fail," MCI said in a notice addressed to deans of all the medical colleges, director of all hospitals, presidents of all the state medical councils, health secretaries, directors of medical education and directors of health services of all the states.

"For any doctor violating the ethics regulation, suitable disciplinary action would be undertaken by the concerned state medical council or Medical Council of India," the regulatory body warned.

MCI making it mandatory for every physician to "prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters".

If any medical practitioner has found to be guilty of committing professional misconduct, the appropriate Medical Council will remove the concerned practitioner name from Indian Medical Registry rendering him ineligible to practice.