Doctors prescribe the best medicine for the patient, not the cheapest - AMA
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, Chair of the Federal AMA's Committee on the Care of Older People, said today that doctors will prescribe the best medicine for the individual needs of their patients, and the best medicines are not always the cheapest.
Dr Haikerwal was commenting on a report in today's Sydney Morning Herald that the Government plans to spend millions of dollars to encourage doctors to prescribe cheaper generic drugs.
"The Government is again totally disregarding the professionalism and expertise of Australia's doctors by splashing out on yet another expensive education campaign to tell doctors what they already know and practice," Dr Haikerwal said.
"While the AMA is not opposed to the practice of prescribing generic medicines, it supports quality use of medicines, which does not necessarily mean prescribing the cheapest available product.
"Older Australians are the largest group of prescription medicine users in Australia. Prescribing the cheapest version of a drug is not necessarily in the best interests of these patients.
"Encouraging patients to use their medicines properly is a complex and difficult issue. The introduction of identical medication in different forms and different packaging will confuse many patients, increasing the risks associated with poor compliance, including doubling up on the same drug.
"Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to adverse drug reactions and problems with medicines use.
"Currently around 40 per cent of PBS prescriptions are written for people aged 65 years and over - around 12 per cent of the population.
"Australia's ageing population, with increasing chronic disease and frailty, consumes more medication than the rest of the population.
"Enforced use of generic drugs potentially creates other problems for patients in the health system and won't necessarily save the government any money.
"Errors associated with prescription drug use in the community have been implicated to cause 12 per cent of all hospital admissions to medical wards, including 22 per cent of emergency admissions for elderly people.
"Best practice prescribing is essential to prevent avoidable hospital admissions. The PBS is a vital part of our health care system. Expenditure through the PBS may cost more initially but will reap dividends in the long run," Dr Haikerwal said.
CONTACT: Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306