Experts Call for Timely Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions to Strengthen Safe and Rational Use of Medicines
Jaipur, September 2026 : A state-level pharmacovigilance sensitisation workshop was organised on Tuesday at the Ground Auditorium of SMS Medical College, Jaipur, to mark the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week-2026. The workshop was jointly organised by the Department of Medical Education, Government of Rajasthan, and SMS Medical College.
The theme of the workshop was “Promoting Rational Use of Medicines through Pharmacovigilance – A Step Towards Safe Healthcare Services.” Doctors, medical teachers and experts from medical colleges across Rajasthan participated in the programme.
Principal Secretary, Medical Education, Gayatri Rathore, said access to healthcare services in the state was continuously expanding, with large numbers of patients receiving medicines and diagnostic facilities at government hospitals. She stressed that merely making medicines available to patients was not sufficient and that equal attention must be given to their safe and appropriate use.
“Patient safety is an important component of healthcare services,” Rathore said, adding that whenever an adverse drug reaction is observed in a patient during treatment, it should be identified and reported promptly. Timely reporting, she said, could help prevent similar incidents in the future and strengthen patient safety.
Rathore urged doctors and nursing staff not to hesitate or feel apprehensive about reporting adverse drug reactions. She clarified that such reporting would not be treated as a basis for punitive action against a doctor, resident or nurse.
Providing information about an unexpected reaction to a medicine should not be viewed as an admission of error, but as part of the responsibility towards patient safety, she said.
She also emphasised the need for medical colleges to focus on the safety of medical devices alongside medicines. Any malfunction involving IV sets, catheters, ventilators, dialysis circuits or other medical equipment should also be reported, she said.
The Principal Secretary said that even a single adverse drug reaction (ADR) report generated at one hospital could contribute to the safety of patients across the state. If multiple cases of unusual reactions were reported from a particular batch of medicine, the information could be forwarded to the Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation Limited (RMSCL), enabling examination of the concerned batch and appropriate action.
She also stressed the importance of SDRP-2026, regular review of bed-head tickets, monitoring patients taking multiple medicines simultaneously and clearly recording drug allergies in patients’ medical records.
Pharmacovigilance to Become Part of Routine Medical Practice
Commissioner, Medical Education, Babulal Goyal said pharmacovigilance should be made an integral part of routine medical practices in all medical colleges across Rajasthan.
He called upon doctors, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals to make reporting of adverse drug reactions a regular part of their work. Timely reporting, he said, would promote the safe and rational use of medicines and further strengthen patient safety.
Dr Monika Jain, State Coordinator of the Drug Adverse Effect Monitoring Cell, called for strengthening ADR reporting centres and making Rajasthan a leading state in the country in this field.
Technical Sessions Highlight Drug and Patient Safety
During the technical session, Chetan Jadhav provided information on important aspects of maintaining medicine quality, including handling, storage, distribution, product returns and resolution of complaints.
Dr Surinder Kher highlighted key patient-safety considerations related to administering medicines during clinical trials. Dr Gayatri Devi Ravichandran explained the role of pharmacovigilance in daily medical practice and measures that can be adopted to ensure patient safety.
During the best-practices session, representatives from private medical colleges — Dr Shipra Jain, Dr Priyanka Rathi and Dr Namita Chaudhary — shared their experiences in strengthening pharmacovigilance systems at their institutions. They discussed the importance of sharing experiences, developing better practices and improving institutional mechanisms for monitoring adverse drug reactions.
The speakers said regular reporting, coordination among healthcare teams and greater vigilance at the clinical level could help reduce risks associated with medicines.
Panel Discussion on Safe and Rational Prescribing
A panel discussion titled “Can Pharmacovigilance Change the Way We Prescribe Medicines?” was also held during the workshop under the moderation of Dr Monika Jain.
The discussion featured clinicians Dr Reema Meena, Dr Gunja Jain and Dr Ambika Sharma, along with Dr Vikas Sharma from RMSCL and Dr Gayatri Devi Ravichandran, Dr Surinder Kher and Chetan Jadhav from the pharmaceutical industry.
The panellists discussed various aspects of the safe and rational use of medicines and the role of pharmacovigilance in improving prescribing practices and protecting patients from preventable risks.
Experiences from ADR Reporting Centres
During the experience-sharing session, Dr Rupa Kapadia, Member Secretary of the Pharmacovigilance Committee and a member of the Pharmacology Team at SMS Medical College, shared her experiences regarding challenges encountered while reporting ADRs at the AMC Centre.
She highlighted the importance of making the reporting process easier, addressing practical difficulties faced by healthcare professionals and maintaining regular monitoring to ensure patient safety.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Rashmi Gupta, Additional Director (Academics), Medical Education Department, who also delivered the concluding remarks.
