Doctors welcome ban on salesmen’s entry

PMDC welcomes move to ban entry of medical salesmen in public hospitals during office hours.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Medical Association has welcomed the Health Department’s move to ban the entry of medical salesmen in public hospitals during office hours.

The Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), however, criticised the move. Its representatives said they were not consulted.

Talking to The Express Tribune on Friday, Dr Shahid, the PMA central joint secretary, said that the ban was a move in the right direction. He added however that if its purpose was to stop medical salesmen from influencing professors’ decisions, it would not be very effective. He said that the salesmen would still be able to visit the professors at their clinics.

He said many professors helped salesmen meet their sales targets and in return received favours including foreign tours funded by pharmaceutical companies.

He suggested that the government introduce a law to ban the use of trademarks. “The sale, purchase and manufacture of medicines should only be allowed under generic names,” he said.

Dr Shahid said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended no more than 600 generic medicines in a developing country but in Pakistan there were 48,000 different registered drugs.

He said that pharmaceutical companies would oppose the use of generic formulas because it would cut their profits.

Dr Salman Kazmi, the Young Doctors’ Association general secretary, said that medical superintendents would face stern opposition in the implementation of the ban.

He alleged that principals and professors of most public medical colleges were effectively partners with the medical salesmen.

Khawaja Shahzeb Akram, the PPMA vice chairman, and Mian Asad Shujaur Rehman, the former PPMA chairman, however, rejected the ban. They said that there was no ethical basis for imposing such a restriction.

“The salesmen provide the government hospitals with thousands of free medical samples,” they said.

Akram demanded that the government should revise its orders.

“It should first debate the issue with the representatives of the Industry so that their point of view is also taken on board,” he said, adding that if the salesmen’s visits are continued under some regulatory mechanism, it would benefit the hospitals.

The Health Department on Thursday banned the entry of medical salesmen in all government hospitals.

It directed the medical superintendents of teaching hospitals as well as district and tehsils headquarters hospitals to ensure the implementation of the ban.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.