BRUSSELS – Health minister Rudy Demotte wants doctors to prescribe more generic drugs, it was reported on Wednesday.

The minister told GPs a fifth of the prescriptions they write should be generic or they would be penalised financially.

According to the newspaper De Tijd, Demotte is giving doctors and medical insurance companies a week to come up with alternative measures before he implements the new policy.

Marc Moens, the president of the Belgian union of doctors’ unions, has already made it clear that he opposes the move.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news