Private medical colleges at root of unethical practices
Doctors are liable to produce registration certificates as per Act
Nearly 50 per cent of medical colleges in India are run by private parties. As students have to pay very high fees, they take unethical routes to recover the money, said Dr Naresh Gupta, Director-Professor, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College.
He was speaking at a panel discussion on unethical medical practices in India, organised by non-governmental organisation Consumer India in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre. He said it is mandatory under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 for doctors to show registration certificate when required in their clinics and hospitals. “Unfortunately, very few doctors follow it and even patients do not ask for it. This is a major reason for the mushrooming of quacks all over the country, including Delhi,” said Gupta.
He added that doctors do not even follow the rules according to which they have to explain the disease and its treatment to the patient. “This leads to unwarranted diagnosis and unjustified treatment on the whims of doctors who give unnecessary costly medicines and ask for tests which are not needed,” said Gupta.
He also trashed the corporates which engage in fake advertisements. “In 2008, Reebok company, which produces shoes and apparels, advertised a shoe line for women. It claimed that the shoes tone thigh muscles of females bringing their bodies in better shape. There was no scientific substantiation for the claim. In October 2011, USA imposed a fine of $ 25 million on the company for the wrong claim. Now the company is paying back the money to the customers, but only in the US, not in India,” said Gupta.
He said mad competition among corporates is responsible for misguiding patients by giving inflated information about facilities. “There are rampant unethical practices in the medical profession and consumers feel helpless in such situations. This discussion was aimed at giving information to consumers about their rights,” said Dr Jayashree Gupta, president, Consumer India.
Such events act as an eye-opener for practitioners who engage in wrong means to earn money, she said.
