Medicine prescriptions in cipher lead to difficulties: Takharis

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): A number of residents of northern Takhar province complain about cipher-based prescription of medicines by doctors of private hospitals, saying the encoding is aimed to fleece patients.

They say the prices of medicines written in unique codes are several times higher.

Asadullah Taimor, a resident of Takhar, said: “Whenever my wife and child fall ill, I take them to a private hospital where doctor write cipher-based prescriptions that could not be found anywhere else. One has to buy medicines from the same hospital where a packet of 50 afghanis is sold for 100 afghanis.”

According to him, the coded prescriptions by doctors of private hospitals are aimed at making extra profit.

He urged officials of the public health department to pay serious attention in this regard and discourage the practice.

Aminullah Habibi, another resident, also said coded medicines were sold at high prices, while people were facing economic problems.

He added patients from remote districts who visited private hospitals had to come back to the same hospital to buy medicines again after they had finished.

According to him, if prescriptions are written in a computerized and transparent manner, patients can buy their medicines from wherever they live without wandering.

Hussain Abid, who has been suffering from high blood pressure, said: “I visited a doctor and then decided to buy the medicines drug from pharmacies in the city at a cheap price, but no pharmacist was able to read the written medicines”

Abdul Wadood Ziayee, a relative of a patient, said since morning he visited about 100 pharmacies to buy medicine for his patient, but because the prescription was written in cipher, no medicine seller had been able to read it.

He added: “Medicines are charged expensive in the same hospital; we ask the doctors and health officials to consider the economic problems of the people and stop writing coded prescriptions.”

Dr Azizullah Basij, a health expert, called cipher-based prescriptions a puzzle only understood by pharmacists linked to the doctor, saying: “The prescription is a written document from the doctor to the pharmacist to prepare and dispense a specific medicine with reference to the method of use, a document that only the doctor has the right to write, which is a great responsibility shouldered upon the pharmacist.”

According to him, prescription suggested by a doctor should be clear and easily readable in all pharmacies, and patients should not be faced with problems.

Basij said coded prescriptions were written by personal benefits by doctors in connivance with pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abdul Qahar Ahmadi, head of public health department, promised to curb cipher-based prescriptions and warned that serious and legal action would be taken against violators.

Pajhwok repeatedly tried to get views of private hospitals about cipher-based prescriptions, but no one provided information.

However, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has decided to strictly prevent illegal and cipher-based prescriptions by doctors.

sa/ma