No headway in ADR reporting project

Adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting project, taken up by the government for knowing both good and bad effects of a drug, is not getting momentum in the absence of expected response from the doctors.
Under the project forms are distributed among the physicians for filling up those and sending to the drug office with comments on the adverse reactions of drugs among the patients.
In the ADR form the government is maintaining confidentiality about names and other particulars of both the doctors and patients. The move is only for getting information about use of drugs.
An official of the directorate general of drug administration (DGDA) said primarily 20 hospitals have been listed under the project and forms have also been distributed among the doctors of respective hospitals.
He said the doctors are still afraid of filling up the forms as they think that they could be made responsible for side effects of the drugs or the drug manufacturing companies may take action against them.
But the DGDA official told the FE that the filled-up forms would be sent to the drug office and names of the doctors and patients would not be disclosed.
He said the project is to know about use of drugs and its good and bad effects among the patients and the doctors should not be scared of filling up the forms supplied by the government.
Another official in the drug administration office said if the doctors are encouraged and willingly fill up the forms it would help the drug office to know about adverse effects of drugs available in the market.
When contacted, several doctors in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital said, "We are yet to get such forms in our hospital."
They said, "We know there were several workshops in different places regarding ADR form but it is still invisible among the doctors."
A senior physician in the BSMMU said the project is yet to get momentum as there is no sufficient campaign from the government side.
He stressed on educational interventions in the under graduate level so that the medical college students can acquire the knowledge of writing about adverse reactions of drugs.
He said managerial components must also be introduced by the government.
Presently, doctors are reluctant to disclose their names in the ADR forms and also do not feel interested in writing about drugs' adverse reaction.
They think if they disclose the drugs' adverse effects in the government supplied ADR forms they may face trouble from the drugs manufacturing companies.
For the public interest and to reduce health risk it is the duty of the government to know about drugs' use and identify the health hazardous drugs in the market.
Under the project blank forms are distributed among the physicians in hospitals and they are directed to fill it up describing reactions and effects of drugs' use.
In Bangladesh there is no strong monitoring authority to assess the uses of drugs, its side effects and other reactions.
An official in the DGDA said, "We are yet to get good response but we are doing campaign and arranging different trainings and workshops with the doctors."
He said, "We hope the existing negative tendency among the doctors for filling up ADR reporting forms would be eliminated soon."