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If you’re
sick of paying for expensive prescription drugs at your physician’s urging, the
Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) said on Wednesday that it is ready to hear
your complaint.
“If there
are indications of [being prescribed] too expensive medicine, or if you go to
the doctor 10 times and get the same medicine over and over again [without
results], and the evidence is clear, please send us a written report,” said
Agus Purwadianto, head of IDI’s medical ethics council.
Agus said a
limited number of health economy experts in Indonesia to provide trustworthy
information and the reluctance of people to report doctors had led to many
doctors conspiring with the pharmaceutical industry, receiving kickbacks from
pharmacists for prescribing expensive drugs.
“There is
also a snob paradigm among people — that without expensive [medicine], they
won’t be healed.”
Agus said
IDI was very serious about supervising its doctors and preventing code of
conduct violations. The association recently gained more power to question
doctors who are accused of receiving bribes, as well as the alleged bribers.
“In the
past, we were only allowed to question the doctors and get a one-sided
explanation, but now we can summon both parties in the investigation,” he said.
“If it is proven, the doctor will be sanctioned.”
The 2009
Law on Medical Practice’s Article 62, which includes the doctor’s oath, states:
“I hereby promise to conduct my duties within ethical means and will not accept
from anyone, directly or indirectly, a pledge or a gift.”
The
International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group said it would impose stricter
regulations on its members to prevent bribery to doctors.
“We have
revised the ethics code of IPMG and tightened it,” Allen Doumit, head of IPMG's
market practices subcommittee, said on Wednesday.
Under this
code of conduct, the pharmaceutical industry is not allowed to offer gifts or
services to doctors and medical staff that might cause a conflict of interest.
If, for
example, a pharmaceutical company wanted to sponsor a doctor to attend seminar
or conference abroad, the doctor should leave just one day prior to the event
and return a day after its conclusion at the latest.
“We could
not send doctor a week before the event or on an additional trip that is not
related to the event,” Allen said.
Allen said
under the old code of conduct, pharmaceutical companies were not forbidden from
indulging doctors with lavish hotel suites or business class plane tickets, but
such offerings would be regulated under the new code.
“We hope
the government could be involved to supervise this,” Allen said.
Only 24
pharmaceutical companies out of more than 200 in Indonesia are members of IPMG.
Allen said that though many are not members of IPMG, all pharmaceutical
companies should heed the organization's ethics standards.
“We are
really serious in upholding the ethics. Recently we warned a pharmaceutical
company that sent flowers to a hospital.”
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