Sales Rep

Missing Georgetown.

Being a physician, especially if one is new, has certain advantages, because medical sales rep love us a lot. Being new and enthusiastic, many reps want to meet us to promote their products. New and young physicians are seen as targets because they are the ones who are adventurous and would try anything new and trendy. The market is so competitive especially so if there are many drug choices to choose from. The drug companies also invest heavily on good looking and pretty reps to sweet talk us. We'd be invited for product launch, sponsored for courses, showered with gifts (and pens) as well as treated for a lunch. It was like an overnight fame.

They are now gone, as I ceased to become 'physician'.

Well, congratulation to all our new physicians who had passed the MRCP in KL recently.

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Medical sale reps do have special role in the health care. They are around to constantly update us on their products as well new evidence found from clinical trials or studies. However, we need to be discreet when come to prescribing drugs. We should consider various factors, like cost effectiveness, clinical risks, compliance and side effect profile, before we prescribe to patients. We should use our professional judgment and not subjecting ourself to personal gain.

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I was particularly pissed off with one sale rep who sells anti-obesity drug. I was asked to sign a form to have 2 sample boxes for patients. It has been 9 months and I still don't received my sample despite two earlier reminders. When I called her up yesterday, she had the gut to tell me that she didn't get to see me in the clinic, when the fact that she visited the clinic less often after that. I had asked her to cancel the form and I am contemplating to lodge a complaint with her manager.

Word of cautions: Never put down your signature unless you receive those sample.