HC Deb 23 July 1956 vol 557 cc27-8
38. Mr. Blenkinsop

asked the Minister of Heath what action he is taking to prevent the excessive prescribing of tranquillisers in view of recent medical information.

Mr. Turton

Responsibility for what is prescribed must rest with the doctors concerned, but I have no doubt they are well aware of the desirability of restricting quantities of these and other drugs to the minimum necessary for the treatment of the patient.

Mr. Blenkinsop

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that a very strong advertising campaign about this specific type of drug is being started, and that doubts are expressed in medical circles about the value of the drug? Could he not say that the prescribing of it will be restricted to hospitals until we have further information about it?

Mr. Turton

No, Sir. Doctors must be free to prescribe. It is not advisable, in my view, for Ministers to interfere with the right of doctors to prescribe. However, if the medical profession has doubts about the advisability of these drugs, then I feel sure there will be a drop in the number of such prescriptions.

Dr. Summerskill

As these so-called tranquillisers are, for the most part, proprietary drugs, and as the Minister in the debate on the Guillebaud Report showed some concern about the excessive prescribing of proprietary drugs, can the right hon. Gentleman say what he is doing to prevent this excessive prescribing and what the exploitation of the public is?

Mr. Turton

I have been in communication with the British Medical Association on this point.