ABU DHABI // Five psychiatrists have been blacklisted in the GCC after prescribing medication leading to addiction in the UAE, a senior Ministry of Health official has said.
During a strategic planning conference in Abu Dhabi, Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Medical Practice and Licensing, told of the ministry's work to combat drug addiction.
He said it had found malpractice at pharmacies and among doctors leading to an unauthorised number of controlled drugs “landings in the palm of youths’ hands”.
These were usually due to doctors overprescribing, or prescribing two drugs that should not be used at the same time.
Pharmacies were also not issuing the right dosage of drugs, and patients were found to be drug shopping and filling their prescriptions at more than one pharmacy.
He said in a couple of months, the Ministry of Health would fully roll out an electronic system which would help them monitor drug dispensing.
“The electronic system controls the doctor,” he said.
He said the ministry had unified prescriptions for controlled drugs. Once patients were given a prescription, they would need to present their National ID card at a pharmacy.
After reviewing all data, the pharmacy is restricted to the specified dosage down to the pill.
“With the electronic system, they cannot go to another pharmacy and claim more drugs,” he said. “It will all be monitored online.”
Another problem the ministry has faced, he said, was counterfeit medical products entering the country.
Of the medications brought into the country, up to 80 per cent were counterfeit. As a result, he said, the UAE has worked to lower the cost of medication.
Now, he said, 60 per cent of medications in the UAE were cheaper than in any other Arabian Gulf country.
He called for greater supervision of imports as many were being caught bringing in medication under false labels, such as clothing or electronics.
He added that companies that dealt with medication in free-zones needed to be monitored because they often exported illegal drugs, giving the UAE a bad image.
Once the drugs were found in the next country, they placed blame on the UAE as the last country of export.
osalem@thenational.ae
