Last week saw the arrest of Dr. Pravin V. Mehta, a Niagara Falls doctor nicknamed "Dr. Feel Good," who was known to illegally prescribe substances.
In a span of two-and-a-half years, Mehta prescribed over three million doses of powerful painkillers such as hydrocodone, and oxycodone. The number of drugs he prescribed was more than every other doctor in Niagara Falls combined. His output was staggering, to say the least.
While we are certainly glad to see Mehta arrested, we believe his work is symptomatic of a larger problem. Quite simply, prescription drugs are too easy to obtain. If someone wishes to get a controlled substance that is not sold over the counter, it is not difficult to find a doctor who is willing to prescribe it.
In many cases, if a patient has a friendly relationship with his doctor, it won't take much for him to receive a prescription for a drug he wants, but does not need.
That was one of the biggest issues with the Mehta case. It wasn't just that he was over-prescribing; it was that he was giving these prescriptions to anyone who wanted them, regardless of whether the patient was even the slightest bit sick.
While Mehta may have been the most extreme example of this practice, it is reasonable to believe there are other doctors engaging in these practices.
Due to the high amount of respect the public has for the medical profession, as well as the sympathy we have for those in physical pain, we tend to not be suspicious in situations like this.
We trust doctors to be ethical and prescribe only the necessary medications, and when people tell us they're sick, we tend to believe them, and want to see them get the best treatment possible.
As a result, this industry becomes difficult to regulate. It's not easy to know when a doctor is prescribing too much of something, or when a patient is lying about a sickness in order to receive painkillers for recreational use. The touchiness of the situation makes it difficult to make a determination in these matters.
With that said, we believe there should be more regulation of this industry. If a doctor is giving out a number of prescriptions that seems absurd, investigate him before he gives out three million illegal prescriptions. There should be a greater attempt to resolve these situations before they get out of hand.
Most doctors are upstanding people, and the "Dr. Feel Goods" are certainly the exception to the rule. Still, the problem is prevalent enough that additional regulation is needed.
When people like Dr. Mehta are not able to hand out unnecessary prescriptions so easily, it will be great day for the medical profession.
