IMA Margao, in collaboration with the Goa Medical Council recently organised CME programme in Goa that focused on the the concerns for patients’ safety, and the extent to which it is being compromised by the errors in prescription writing and dispensing. To commemorate this, they also released a booklet on 'Prescription writing and handling guidelines', during this event.

The booklet which was released by Laxmikant Parsekar, the health minister who also acted a the chief guest during this event in his address stressed that it is important for the doctors to write in a legible handwriting as it may lead to illegible prescriptions which can be a serious health hazard.

He even suggested that a time may come when we need a health warning as is done on cigarette packets, that bad prescriptions are injurious to health. He lauded the efforts of the medical council in getting the booklet published and the concept of the laminated card for the doctors’ desk, both of which have been authored by Dr Gladstone D'Costa, a member of the medical council, and Raj Vaidya, of Hindu Pharmacy, and president of the Voluntary Health Association of Goa. Both these authors have been working on getting universal approval from all stakeholders by a series of three round table conferences over the last six years.

In his introductory remarks, Dr Gladstone stressed on the impact of prescription errors, the lack of data in India, and the importance of prescription protocols. He also gave a brief on a prescription survey in Goa. The second speaker, Raj Vaidya covered a host of difficulties faced by the pharmacists as a result of faulty prescriptions and unreasonable demands by patients often aided and abetted by the doctors from a distance. Dr Rataboli, Professor of Pharmacology in the Goa Medical College dealt with the medication errors and irrational combinations marketed by pharmaceutical companies.

In his address the Dr Salkar stressed the importance of this event and said that after a period of a year or so, there would be an impact assessment of the program and booklet released today. Veljee congratulated the IMA, the Council and the authors for the effort in such a unique and first of its kind program, and said that in a state like Goa it is possible to implement this first-of-its-kind initiative and showcase it to the rest of the country.