Acceptance of commission by docs against medical code: Vardhan

Admitting to presence of widespread nexus between doctors and diagonistic centres to fleece patients, Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan today said acceptance of commission by doctors was violative of the medical code and ordered an inquiry into a television expose on the issue.
"The President of Medical Council of India (MCI)... has been asked to summon an emergency meeting of its Ethics Committee and post the minutes of the said meeting on its website," the Minister said in a statement in Parliament on the television expose on collusion between doctors and pathological laborary/diagonistic centres.
Television channel News Nation through a sting programme 'Operation Jonk' exposed the secret deals between some dishonest doctors and pathological laboratries and diagonstic centres in the national capital.

It suggested that some doctors were collecting between 30-50 per cent commissions for tests like MRI, CT scan, ultra sound and routine pathological tests.
The Minister underlined the need for codefication of laws relating to clinical/diagnostic examination and added he would constitute a panel of reputed medical practitioners and consumer law experts to suggest measures for introducing greater transparency and accountability in medical practices.
Taking serious note of the expose, Vardhan said "it is time to check retrogressive tendencies that have crept into sectors of the medical economy, therby leading to the thriving of corrupt clusters affecting the image of the community.