Doctors oppose prescription of medicines by non-physicians

di-ve.com


Current Affairs -- 25 March 2010 -- 09:20CEST
A proposal to allow pharmacists to prescribe a number of medicines was strongly condemned by the Medical Association of Malta, which said that the Health Ministry was considering “abandoning the ethical principles in the prescription of medicines.”
“Patients have the right to be diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner before a medicine can be prescribed. This is a basic tenet of patient safety,” the MAM said.

The association noted that the current Medicines Act prevents medical practitioners from dispensing medicines to avoid a potential conflict of interest between the prescriber and the dispenser who profits from the sale of medicines. It said that allowing non-physicians to prescribe would thus further raise the price of medicines.

“A more appropriate reform would be the liberalisation of pharmacy licenses to encourage competition which would then drive down the cost of medicine,” it suggested.

It added that the Ministry should also impose on pharmacies to stock drugs used in medical emergencies, stating that “a dangerous lacuna has been created as most have decided to abandon this critical aspect of patient care, and focus on cosmetic products which have nothing to do with the practice of medicine or pharmacy.”

The proposal to give pharmacists the power to prescribe certain medicines was mentioned by Health Minister Joe Cassar during the opening of a symposium. He noted that this power had already been granted in a number of countries.

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