§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Defence what controls exist on the use of drugs by military doctors; and if he will estimate the savings that these controls produce as a percentage and in pound sterling.
§ Mr. WigginA service medical officer may prescribe any drug considered necessary for a patient's treatment subject to the following constraints: the drug should have a United Kingdom product licence or be supplied as part of a recognised trial; the prescription should comply with existing United Kingdom statutory requirements; approved rather than proprietary names should be used whenever appropriate; drugs from the stockpile held for mobilisation and other emergency purposes should be used whenever appropriate, to ensure turnover of stocks that might otherwise become date-expired. Demands for new drugs and innovations in treatment are referred to the Ministry of Defence for investigation and approval before supply can be authorised. The level of medical stocks available for use by service medical officers is carefully monitored. It is not possible to estimate the savings made by these procedures, but medical supply purchases have been contained within authorised budgets over the last three years.