Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Doctors prescribing medicines available only at select shops or directing patients to particular laboratories has become a common practice in the city. Medical professionals admit that such conduct amounts to commercialisation of a noble profession, though it is not illegal.
The recent Chhindwara tragedy, in which nearly two dozen children died from kidney failure after consuming a contaminated cough syrup, has brought such practices under scrutiny. The syrup, Coldrif, was prescribed by a government paediatrician—now in judicial custody—and allegedly sold from a shop owned by his wife.
A senior paediatrician, requesting anonymity, said that almost every hospital and clinic now has an attached pharmacy, and many private practitioners prescribe medicines stocked only in nearby outlets. “This is wrong and should not happen. Patients come from distant places to consult specialists. If medicines are available only near the doctor’s clinic, where will these patients go?” she said.
A senior psychiatrist explained that doctors have increasingly become intermediaries for the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries. He said that while other professionals like software engineers earn salaries in crores, doctors’ consultation fees in cities like Bhopal rarely exceed Rs 800.
“To supplement their income, many strike arrangements with pharma companies and labs. It’s a way to sustain their practice in a system that undervalues medical consultation,” he added.
He further stated that prescribing medicines available at selected shops or referring patients to particular laboratories is neither illegal nor punishable, even if a doctor’s spouse owns a chemist shop or a relative runs a pharma company. “It may be immoral or unethical, but it does not breach any law,” he said.
A senior gynaecologist noted that patients themselves sometimes seek recommendations for where to buy medicines or get tests done. “Even if a doctor suggests a place, the patient is free to choose any shop or lab. There is no restriction,” she said.
