The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued a notification imposing restrictions on when pharmaceutical company representatives may collect patient information, prescriptions, or take photographs of documents in government hospitals.
According to the newly issued rules, pharmaceutical representatives may only meet government hospital doctors on Mondays and Thursdays from 12pm to 2:30pm.
Outside of these hours, they will not be allowed to remain within the premises of government hospitals, said the notification issued on Thursday.
The notification said that the government has taken measures to protect the image of government doctors in the public eye and to ensure proper healthcare services. The representatives are asked to strictly follow instructions across all government hospitals and institutes in the country.
“If any pharmaceutical company representative violates these instructions, legal action will be taken against that representative,” the circular warned.
The notification further said that on the two designated days of the week, pharmaceutical company representatives must carry their ID cards when meeting doctors.
In addition, prescribing diagnostic tests on pads provided by private diagnostic centres or institutions, or writing prescriptions on company-branded pads, has been completely prohibited.
Similarly, no recommendation may be made for tests or medicines from outside sources if those tests or medicines are already available in government hospitals.
