The Icelandic Association of Physicians has iterated its demand that health authorities establish nationwide interconnected medical records to prevent unnecessary prescriptions and the abuse of prescribed medicine.
The photo is not related to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
Abuse of such drugs has been intensely covered in the Icelandic media lately, following a documentary on young drug abusers broadcast on RÚV’s news magazine Kastljós.
The association is hoping the coverage will encourage health authorities to take the aforementioned step and has expressed its intent to work on necessary improvements with the Directorate of Health, ruv.is reports.
Kastljós has a list of 24 physicians who wrote the most prescriptions for Ritalin and Concerta (methylphenidate medicine) in 2009.
According to ruv.is, the record is held by one psychiatrist who handed out 214 daily portions of methylphenidate medicine to 375 individuals with 1,511 prescriptions for a combined price of ISK 72 million (USD 625,000, EUR 434,000) in 2009.
Methylphenidate medicine cost Icelandic Health Insurance more than all other medicine combined in 2009. The then Minister of Health Álfheidur Ingadóttir asked for records on the use of drugs containing methylphenidate.
Prescribing Ritalin to adults is considered reprehensible.
