Representative image for anitbiotics.
Credit: iStock
Bengaluru: Quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit, Swiggy, Instamart and recently Zepto are delivering medicines, especially antibiotics, without valid prescriptions.
They facilitate online consultations by doctors hired by third-party agencies. The doctors prescribe antibiotics for something as simple as common cold.
For certain tablets, a note saying ‘prescription required’ is displayed followed by ‘Don’t have a prescription? Our doctor will provide a quick consultation after ordering’.
The model is followed by Swiggy, Instamart and Zepto.
This DH reporter ordered an antibiotic for which prescription was needed and received a phone call from a doctor.
The doctor asked for basic details like name, age and symptoms and approved a prescription for Azithromycin. The symptoms that were mentioned were only cough and cold.
However, Azithromycin is prescribed when one is diagnosed with viral infection and there is a strain of yellow in phlegm, said Dr Balakrishna G K, HoD and senior
consultant, internal medicine at a private hospital.
‘Wrong diagnosis’
“Blood pressure and sugar level can be tested by the patient itself, so follow-ups can be done online. But we make sure that all boxes are ticked and very carefully prescribe antibiotics during online consultation”.
In the prescription by a quick-commerce app, the doctor mentioned the diagnosis as fever without confirming with the caller.
He mentioned about allergies and ongoing medicine as none, without confirming with the caller.
Online pharmacies
Dr Suchismitha Rajamanya, lead consultant and HoD, internal medicine at a private hospital, said, “Taking antibiotics when infection is due to viruses and not because of bacteria will exacerbate antibiotic resistance”.
However, Tata 1mg and Apollo Pharmacy, dedicated online pharmacies, follow other procedures in which patients have to upload valid prescription, a pharmacist checks prescription and if it is found invalid, prescription is rejected, as also the order.
A young diabetes patient said: “These apps can help people like me who travel around and are diagnosed with diabetes, by selling those tablets. This is because we can provide a valid prescription as well and they will save our time and life”.
What dept says
A senior official from the drugs control department said these apps do not require permission from the department as they are only service providers and not stocking up medicine.
“They have tie-ups with pharmacies that will provide them the ordered medicine. They do not stock up,” the officer added.