Are Physicians Permitted to Sell Medicines? Here’s What the Law and Code of Conduct Say The Drugs Act, 2035 (1978) and the Drug Registration Regulations, 2038 (1981) stipulate that medicines cannot be sold or distributed without proper registration, certification, and the availability of necessary human resources and infrastructure. Patients visit physicians for medical treatment. The physician examines the patient, diagnoses the illness, and prescribes the necessary medication; the patient then proceeds to a pharmacy to purchase it. However, in some instances, medicines are provided to patients directly from the physician’s own clinic or health institution. This gives rise to a significant question: are physicians permitted to sell medicines? This issue extends beyond a mere matter of professional jurisdiction between physicians and pharmacists. It encompasses concerns regarding the safe use of medicines, a patient’s right to choose , conflicts of interest , the pricing and quali...
Scrub typhus: a growing health challenge in children Recently, an 11-year-old girl was admitted to Rapti Institute of Health Sciences in Dang due to high fever and physical weakness. Initially, he was treated for a simple fever, but after a few days, his condition worsened. On further examination, it was discovered that he had scrub typhus. In the absence of timely treatment, the disease seriously affected his liver, kidneys, and lungs, resulting in multi-organ failure. The girl was kept on a ventilator, although various life-saving measures were taken, but it became a challenge to improve her health. In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of scrub typhus in Nepal. Scrub typhus is a type of bacterial disease that is spread by insects (chiggers) found in wooded areas infected with the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. In children, this disease can cause serious health problems, as evidenced by a recent complex case of multi-organ failure in an...