Coronavirus outbreak: Relax norms for drugs prescribed by psychiatrists, say docs

Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has now allowed doctors to prescribe drugs to their patients for minor ailments through social media platforms owing to the lockdown.

Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has now allowed doctors to prescribe drugs to their patients for minor ailments through social media platforms owing to the lockdown. However, psychiatrists have claimed this step is not enough as medicines prescribed by them will be available to patients only if the Food and Drugs Administration(FDA) approves it.

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“Such drugs are often misused. So there are restrictions on buying them. But in an emergency situation, FDA needs to relax rules so that patients can buy drugs prescribed on old prescriptions or soft copies,” said Dr Harish Shetty, a psychiatrist who has written to the Union health ministry on the issue. State health minister Rajesh Tope said, “I will look into the matter.”