HOUSE Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., assured members of the medical profession of his support in their call for the removal of a certain provision of the Cheap Pharmaceutical Medicine Bill that they think emasculates their authority over their patients.

In a talk to members of the Pangasinan Medical Society (PMS) a day after the latter joined their counterparts in various parts of the country in denouncing House Bill No. 2844, de Venecia vowed to sit down with the principal author of the bill to bring to him the sentiments of doctors in Pangasinan and various parts of the country.

“I am inclined to support our doctors, so I would like to see the exact language that they are proposing,” he told reporters in an earlier interview at his residence.

The PMS members led by their president Gozar Duque expressed objection to the provision of the bill that amended Section 6 of the Generic Act 1988 which allowed doctors to write in their prescriptions generic medicines and their equivalent “branded medicines.”

Under House Bill No. 2844 now being presented, only generic medicines would be written by doctors in their prescriptions and any one who commits the mistake of writing names of branded medicines shall be sanctioned and meted fines and imprisonment, including revocation of their licenses.

“We are not objecting to the Cheaper Medicine bill. What we are only objecting (to) is the provision of the bill that amended the Generic Act of 1988”, explained Duque.

Doctors in Pangasinan vowed to hold a motorcade, noise barrage and release balloons today Sunday to dramatize their sentiment against the objectionable portion of the bill.

They were joined in their meeting on Monday by officers and members of the Pangasinan Dental Society who said they will also be affected if House Bill No. 2844 becomes a law.

Government doctors however did not attend the meeting for a still unexplained reason.

Under the proposed law, the doctors fear that it would be left to the sales clerks of pharmacies to suggest, recommend or actually choose the kind of medicines that would be given to patients. (PNA)