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More curbs on psychotropic, narcotic drugs

Practioners and dispensers will face more restrictions and be held accountable for misuse of psychotropic and narcotic drugs under an upcoming federal law that regulates pharmacy profession, said a senior health official from the health ministry.

Patient identification will also be required upon presenting the prescription.

Psychotropic drugs regulated by the ministry include anti-depressants, drugs for anxiety, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. Narcotic medicines are mainly used to treat cancer patients and can only be prescribed by hospitals.

The doctor and pharmacist will be obliged to provide more information regarding the drug dispensed as well as personal details of self and the patient, said Dr Fatima Al Braiki, Director of Registration and Drug Control Department at the health ministry. She was speaking during the first GCC conference on the Role of Pharmacist in Mental Health in the GCC.

These measures, she said, were being taken to control the increasing misuse of controlled and psychotropic drugs through prescriptions. Each transaction will also have to be recorded and reported. Non-compliance will lead to disciplinary action, said Dr Fatima, adding that this would be done at a later stage.

“The new regulations are being developed by a diverse group of scientists, regulators, psychiatrists and hence will take some time to be finalised,” she explained when asked about the law.

Under the law, pharmacists will also be allowed to ‘act as doctors’ and prescribe medicines such as for diabetes and similar ailments, said Dr Fatima. “We want pharmacists to play a bigger role and step into the community in the future,” she added.

Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Undersecretary at the ministry and Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licenses said that misuse of drug prescriptions is a growing concern for public health worldwide.

Participants at the conference, however, said that the stigma attached to mental health will increase if regulations are tightened.

Dr Mustafa Afifi, Mental Health Consultant at the ministry said that psychotropic drugs are not more dangerous than other drugs such as those used to treat diabetes and heart patients and antibiotics.

“Mental health is a major problem in the society and strict regulations will only become an obstacle in the treatment,” he added.

Citing a survey done by the ministry in 2009, Dr Afifi said that one third of the patients visiting primary health centres were suffering from mental health issues due to co-morbidity (presence of other diseases) while 20 per cent of students showed depressive symptoms. In the UAE, only three psychiatrists are available for every 100,000 patients, discussed the gathering.

According to the World Health Organisation there are more than 450 million people suffering from mental disorders and psychological problems in the world.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com