But we know that the relationship between a doctor and a pharmaceutical rep has always been very dangerous. The report of some hospital doctors: "An unacceptable custom" Tait: "I exclude that it happens". Fabi: «The ASL forbids it. Things that are bad for health
by Valeria Frangipane – ALTO ADIGE -03 January 2015
BOLZANO. You do it but you do not talk about it. The primary doctors (some) invite the doctors to the classic and traditional ward Christmas dinner but the pharmaceutical company pays the bill in the end. This time, however, (some) doctors from the Bolzano hospital let it be known that "this is not the way to do it and that the custom has now become unacceptable".
The director of the Bolzano health district, Umberto Tait, excludes that some San Maurizio chiefs behave in this way.
But we know that the relationship between a doctor and a pharmaceutical rep has always been very dangerous.
As well as rejecting the idea, Andreas Fabi, the director general of the single health authority, recalls that the company's internal rules of conduct forbid accepting gifts: "Look, I don't have the regulation at hand, but I can assure you that they can only be accepted small gifts. Sounds like a bottle or two of wine to me… at most!».
Doctor Fabi… and is the ward's Christmas dinner okay or not?
"No. It doesn't fit at all. And I don't like people saying "after all, it's just a dinner", you see, the principle is wrong". Because if I accept a gift, basically I prepare myself to make another one. "These are situations that are not good and are not good for our health."
Yet it happens. And as always in these cases, the credit card drama takes place. It works more or less like this. The doctors-diners-guests dine and celebrate Christmas, followed by toasts and handshakes, but when it comes to paying the bill, the ancient skirmish of "I'll pay... you don't pay" starts, which sees the "pharmaceutical rep" having the better on this primary.
«These are things that are not done – Fabi reiterates – After all, our doctors earn good money and those who are happy with the dinner paid for by this or that pharmaceutical company make mistakes and don't make us make a good impression. These are things that happened years ago… I would say twenty years ago. I remember when they gave away trips etc. then the matter changed, various types of bans and recalls were triggered and today it shouldn't happen again. Look, I can only say that there are no more times for such issues, I'm sorry and I'm sure the issue only affects a handful of people". We also recall that the professional code of ethics explicitly states that the doctor "must avoid any condition of conflict of interest in which professional behavior is subordinated to undue economic advantages of another nature". The list of cases of interference by drug industries has always been long and persistent in Italy as in the rest of the world. Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of medical devices paid at least 3.5 billion dollars to US doctors in the last five months of 2013. «The problem is so urgent - recalls Il Sole 24 Ore - that the United States has adopted the Sunshine act, which from August 2013 obliges pharmaceutical companies to keep track of payments to doctors and university clinics and from September 2014 to enter the data in an online public register".
Italy is full of "cries" of various kinds but in the end - in some cases - the ancient custom of the gift that is too hard to die prevails.
Related news: Doctors, training courses sponsored by pharmaceutical companies? 'No thank you'
