Confessions of a Medical Representative

“Sometimes, doctors demand hospital equipment. There are instances of entire hospitals built through industry support.”

Some pharma companies hand out hard cash to doctors to get them to prescribe their products. When I started out nine years ago, things weren’t so blatant. But here is how medical representatives go about sponsoring doctors. Say, there is a cardiologist who has about 100 regular patients. The medical rep promises him things like DVDs, washing machines, etcetera, if he gives him 40 of his patients for the next six months.  

The second thing companies do is sponsor conferences. A doctor never pays for these trips. Right from picking him up from his house, the company foots the bill—about Rs 1.5 –2 lakh per doctor. A common demand by doctors is to make arrangements for their spouses to go on the trip as well. 

There is an Indian company that has a lobby of 20-odd doctors who are taken with their spouses to international destinations like Bangkok every year. Of the five days, one day is allotted for the conference and the rest is time off. The understanding is that the doctors will prescribe the company’s product for the rest of the year. And this happens every year. 

Sometimes, doctors demand hospital equipment as well. There are instances of entire hospitals being built through industry support. 

A company’s budget depends on the doctor’s expectations. The company evaluates the doctor’s potential to deliver on sales and then decides if his demands are feasible. I have the freedom to spend about Rs 50,000 at any point. It could, for instance, be on a dinner meet at a five-star hotel. 

That is not to say there are no good doctors. I would say 30 per cent prescribe genuine medicines. But the rest look for benefits. I suppose times are competitive; so many doctors enter the field each year. When practice is slow, a doctor will look at other ways to make money. 

(He has been working for both Indian and multinational pharmaceutical companies for nine years)

As told to Pallavi Polanki

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