India, June 28 -- The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe's directive barring hospitals from compelling patients to purchase medicines exclusively from in-house pharmacies has been widely welcomed as a patient-friendly move. However, activists and pharmacists say its implementation could face practical challenges.

Doctors often prescribe medicines from specific pharmaceutical companies, which may not be readily available at neighbourhood medical stores. As a result, patients' relatives frequently have to visit multiple pharmacies in search of the prescribed medicines-a situation that becomes difficult during emergencies or when patients are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

Although generic ...