In a significant decision, the State Government has allowed pharmacists at single-doctor hospitals to dispense medicines in the absence of the doctor.
The Health Department has issued an official order in this regard. “Many of the single-doctor hospitals in the State are managed by the pharmacists in the absence of doctors due to some reasons or other. It is difficult to manage the said hospitals without any specific government orders entrusting the pharmacists for treatment of patients and list of ailments to be treated by them.
In order to overcome the difficulties, government after careful consideration has been pleased to decide that in partial modification to this department order bearing no. 29534, dtd. 23.09.2003, Govt.
in H & FW Department, the pharmacists are entrusted to dispense the following drugs for ailments as per the list enclosed for treatment in absence of doctors,” the department said in the order. Pharmacists have been allowed to dispense medicines for treatment of minor ailments such as malaria, fever, upper respiratory infection, skin diseases (scabies and ring worm), helminthiasis, diarrhoea, APD, minor injuries without medicolegal cases (MLC), superficial burns without MLC and drainage of abscess.
In DCs and non-communicable diseases, the pharmacists have been authorised to dispense previously-prescribed drugs or any medicine prescribed by e-Sanjibani or telemedicine.
The pharmacists have been allowed to dispense only Government-supplied medicines from Niramaya.