Psychiatrists in India arerepeatedly offered personal gifts, foreign trips, etc. to woo them and get them to prescribe depot injections of Atypical Antipsychotics.The pharmaceutical company will even arrange for a nurse to visit the patient at home. "The relatives of the patients are happier to have this done to keep the patient sedated but manageable than running around causing trouble" is how some psychiatrists say justifying this practice.The more number of scripts the more exotic are the vacations.I know of some Psychiatrists being sponsored to Singapore,Venezuela,Rio in Brazil and Shanghai in China.
Those salesmen would tell me openly that they are willing to spend on an individual, not on the institution,' comments a general surgeon from a metropolitan city.
A paediatrician from a metropolitan city suggests, 'The practice of pharma companies sponsoring doctors for conferences and CME (Continuing Medical Education) workshops must be stopped immediately.'
A gynaecologist from a big city observes,
'The area manager of a pharmaceutical company once paid me a visit along with his army of representatives. He asked me why I regularly use a certain product manufactured by them. 'l answered, "It is cheap, it is effective. That's why." 'He was confused.
He asked me in bewilderment, "Madam, we never give you any gifts." 'l replied, "There is no need for that." 'He just could not believe it. He kept asking, "How can this be, madam? Please tell me the reason."
'This is the ridiculous situation that prevails. This is the reality.'
A paediatrician from a big city mentions, 'Our branch [of a doctors' association] was functioning well. We would organize CME workshops with our own funds. Gradually, the pharmaceutical companies pushed their way in. From 1995 onwards they began to organize their own CME workshops. Earlier, we would focus on the issues of importance that we had decided upon. But then the pharmaceutical companies began to select only those topics that would help them promote their new drugs. The workshops were free, with liquor thrown in. Finally the doctors in our city decided that all workshops henceforth would be organized by the pharmaceutical companies. I would ask them why they couldn't spend Rs 1000 per year on their own education. Why do you want it free?
Finally, through a secret ballot, my opposition was set aside and the basic principles of our [doctors' association] branch were changed in favour of the pharma companies. Obviously, I withdrew from it. Now all workshops in our city are conducted by pharmaceutical companies.
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