This story is from July 06, 2016
Chemists attack docs for prescribing generic drugs
KALYANI (WEST BENGAL): A mob of pharmacy owners attacked a group of junior doctors at a government hospital in Kalyani, West Bengal, on Monday night for prescribing generic medicines instead of branded names.
A little before Monday midnight, some junior doctors on duty at the College of Medicine and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital (CMJNMH), Kalyani, were sipping tea at a kiosk near the hospital gate when they were surrounded by a mob. The men abused the doctors for prescribing generic drugs, and after a heated exchange assaulted them.
Hearing the commotion, more doctors rushed out of the hospital. At this, one of the attackers took out a gun and held it to a doctor’s head. Before leaving, they threatened the doctors with dire consequences. The junior doctors were merely following a 2013 state government order making it mandatory for them to issue prescriptions with generic names instead of branded medicines.
All government-run hospitals now have fair-price medicine shops selling generic medicines and offering discounts of 60-70 per cent on the maximum retail price, making them much affordable. This has, obviously, led to loss of business for pharmacies in the vicinity of hospitals.
“Some of those operating medicine shops near the hospital have been complaining of slump in sales. They had threatened us earlier but we never imagined they would come armed and assault us,” said one of the doctors who did not want to be named. In protest, the junior doctors decided to go on strike on Tuesday morning, but the hospital administration managed to prevent it after holding a series of meetings with them and the district police.
The hospital later lodged a police complaint, but none has been arrested yet. “The police as well as the hospital administration have assured to provide security to the junior doctors,” said CMJNMH principal Santanu Banerjee.
Hearing the commotion, more doctors rushed out of the hospital. At this, one of the attackers took out a gun and held it to a doctor’s head. Before leaving, they threatened the doctors with dire consequences. The junior doctors were merely following a 2013 state government order making it mandatory for them to issue prescriptions with generic names instead of branded medicines.
All government-run hospitals now have fair-price medicine shops selling generic medicines and offering discounts of 60-70 per cent on the maximum retail price, making them much affordable. This has, obviously, led to loss of business for pharmacies in the vicinity of hospitals.
The hospital later lodged a police complaint, but none has been arrested yet. “The police as well as the hospital administration have assured to provide security to the junior doctors,” said CMJNMH principal Santanu Banerjee.
Top Comment
TheAtheist
2830 days ago
The Fourth Caliph, Ali bin Abi Talib (656 - 661 A.D.) had remarked: The land where books were first written and from where wisdom and knowledge sprang is India.(Note: Many Islamic traditions support the high standing of Indian culture with the Arabs. This shows the affection and respect of early Muslims had for India. In any case, Caliph Umar, was opposed to attacking India, even when he was told that 'Indian rivers are pearls, her mountains rubies, her trees perfumes, for he regarded India as a country of complete freedom of thought and belief where Muslims and others were free to practice their faith. Prof Shahida Kazi from Karachi University busted myth of indian muslim history Link: aacounterterror.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/the-myth-of-history/Read allPost comment
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