DME Issues Directive for Compliance with NMC Norms
Vijayawada: The Director of Medical Education (DME) in Andhra Pradesh has issued a strict directive to all Government Medical College Principals and Government General Hospital Superintendents to ensure doctors comply with the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) guideline of prescribing drugs using generic names.
Reiterating the importance of adherence, DME Dr. DV Lakshmi Narasimham emphasized, “Doctors must use generic names as mandated under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956.”
Prescription Audits to Be Conducted Regularly
To enforce compliance, hospital authorities have been instructed to:
- Sensitize doctors on generic prescriptions.
- Monitor prescriptions and maintain compliance records.
- Form prescription audit committees to conduct audits at least once every two months in government hospitals.
NMC’s Push for Generic Prescriptions & Doctor Opposition
The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the NMC, through the Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2022, mandated that doctors prescribe medicines only by their generic/non-proprietary/pharmacological names.
The National Medical Commission Registered Medical Practitioners Regulations 2023, released on August 3, 2023, further emphasized:
- Legibly writing prescriptions using generic names (Section 8).
- Avoiding unnecessary medications and irrational fixed-dose combinations.
- Ensuring no exploitation of patients by explicitly stating the generic name on prescriptions (Section 12b).
Non-compliance with these regulations was deemed a punishable offense, carrying the risk of suspension of a doctor’s license for up to 30 days.
Doctors Raise Concerns Over Drug Quality
Despite the mandate, the medical community, including the Indian Medical Association (IMA), strongly opposed the regulation, citing concerns over the quality of generic drugs. The IMA argued that less than 0.1% of drugs in India undergo quality testing, making enforcement of the rule risky for patient safety.
Following backlash, the Health Ministry intervened, leading to NMC putting the regulation on hold. However, Andhra Pradesh’s health authorities are now actively pushing for compliance through monitoring and prescription audits.
