Srinagar, 20-Jan;Amid growing concern of substandard medicines, Directorate of Health Service Kashmir ordered constitution of divisional level Prescriptions Audit Committee (PAC) and asked Chief Medical Officers and Medical Superintendents to nominate one Nodal Officer besides constitute similar committees at district level. DHSK in an order issued here asked all the CMOs and Medical Superintendents to nominate one Nodal Officer for each district and sub-district hospital and shall collect photocopies of at least 1 percent of prescriptions by doctors in OPDs on a random basis. The order said CMOs should also constitute district-level PAC comprising of doctors on administrative posts, excluding consultants. “These prescriptions collected by the Nodal Officer shall be scrutinized by PAC whether the prescriptions are written in capital letters with the name of doctor, signature and registration number,” read the order. It said that generic drugs are prescribed and preference is given to the drugs, which are available free in hospital supplies. “Unnecessary diagnostic tests/procedures are prescribed and patients are referred to the private clinics/specialists without requirement,” the order said. The directorate said that drugs are prescribed in contravention to the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetic Act & Regularizations and it has taken a serious note of it. “PACs shall prepare and submit fortnightly reports to this directorate while the divisional level PAC, which is being constituted, shall prepare monthly report along with their recommendations, highlighting actionable points that shall be submitted to the Administrative Department,” the order said.(CNS)
