Dr. Navjot Sidhu Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab today met Dr. Harshvardhan Union Health and Family Welfare Minister and stressed for Uniform drug policy throughout the country so that maximum margin of profit for any drug by any manufacturer should not vary.Dr. Sidhu briefing about the meeting said that patients are charged various rates by chemists and private practioners for the same salt with highest cost rather than lower rate options. She said that she requested the Minister to introduce Psychiatry as a major subject in medicine course because of the increasing need of counseling for drug de addiction, depression, stress and anxiety leading to suicides which are rising at alarming rates. All medical officers should be able to handle all such cases.
She also advocated to develop Amritsar as Medical tourist destination to enhance standard of health care and flourish medical industry in Amritsar as city have international airport and the willingness of SAARC doctors to serve free of cost.Dr. Sidhu said that she also strongly took up the issue to put a check on female foeticide by stopping over the counter sale of abortion drugs without prescription from doctors, tracking of pregnant patients by anm's and female health workers, encouraging the use of decoy patients to identify centers allowing foeticide. She said that issue related to Medico legal cases was also discussed and she advocated that such activities should be performed under camera surveillance and stringent punishment should be given to all involved in giving false reports , self inflicted injuries to be properly investigated and fake surgeries to be prevented by ensuring proper records of investigations suggesting need for appropriate surgery. She also advised the Minister to check on quacks by defining proper laws for punishing people giving false advertisements and prescribing dangerous drugs.She said that Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare has assured to look into each matter and showed full willingness to provide help in all possible ways.