Respected Dr. , Mr..

and the august gathering over here

I wish you all a very good morning.

Before I start, let me salute the spirit and dedication of the 7

compassionate people who started this hospital 27 years back
and have stood as a living example of live your dreams to make
it a reality.

I have a lot of respect for the medical, pharmaceutical and the

para - medical field. Like most of the children in my days, I
wanted to be a doctor, but probably I didnt have that will power
which you had and hence rather than sitting in a physicians
chair, I sat in the opposite chair as a pharma companys
representative. Working during those days was very simple since
the companies were driven by quality edge and score over each
other in terms of the representatives product knowledge. Drs
were happy with small token gifts like a yearly diary, calendar, a
pen, keychain and some good height and weight posters and of
course few samples. Schemes did play a role but were
concentrated during seasons for some seasonal products only.

Ethics was practiced by nearly all the major factors of medical

industry the doctors, the pharmacists and the pharmaceutical
companies. Me-too Companies scored over each other in terms of
product knowledge right from informing the source of purchase of
raw material to the quality parameters used like Coulter Counter
and HPLCs, etc. Establishing rapport was a key to more
prescriptions and this was done by involving the Drs in dialogue
and talking something of his interest other than products. The
higher your manager works with you on field, the more one would
get prescriptions since the Drs respected the senior managers of
every company. Pharmacist gave orders during senior managers
visit and even honored it when delivered by the stockist. A growth
rate of 10-15 % by every territory was o.k and knowing this, the
representatives planned their work. Ethics was practiced and I
was fortunate to work in a company which had a mission
statement that read innovative products designed to provide
convenience and economy to the patients. Though earning
profits was a legally accepted term, profiteering hadnt seen the
day yet.

We have sufficient to fulfill every persons needs; however we

have very few to fulfill a persons greed. Greed was one
component that was addressed by profiteering companies and I
personally feel that a superior status symbol tag attached to it
made the socially obligation triangle of Drs-pharmacist-
companies a deceitful triangle of unethical components.

During the 10th World medical assembly in Havana in 1956, the

declaration read - The primary obligation of the physician is his
professional duty; in performing his professional duty, the
physicians supreme guide is his conscience. Fast forward to the
present scenario and we see a rapidly expanding science and
technology that has brought revolutionary improvements in
diagnosis and treatment. Drug industry, hospitals and nursing
homes with high technology tend to become business houses
nowadays. We have moved far away from the Hippocratic context.
Ethics today is not a simple matter between a doctor and a
patient the society is involved in a much bigger way. Today, the
Drs integrity is related with drugs, drug manufacturers, medical
representatives, law, the patients family, the corporate hospitals
that he is attached to and his own standard of living.

In the present society, monetary benefits play a far more

important role. A large number of brilliant aspirants join the
medical profession for the lure of big money and status. Our
social fabric has become so complicated and tangled that it
becomes hard to distinguish between a honest and socially
inclined physician to a commercial one. The old and honored
concepts of service, propriety, efficiency, integrity, honesty,
commitment and sincerity do not seem to be applicable to the
modern times. The code of conduct, even when one has a notion
of it, seems impracticable. Economics, and not ethics, seem to
rule the roost.

How does one challenge such a commercial vibrant environment?

It must always be kept in mind that the job of doctor is a noble

profession and the aim must be to serve humanity, otherwise this
dignified profession will lose its true worth. The prime object of
the medical profession is to render service to humanity, reward or
final subordinate consideration. Who-so-ever chooses his
profession; assume the obligation to conduct in accordance with
its ideals.

Even after implementation of Medical Council Act many unethical

activities exist in medical profession. So it is highly necessary to
amend Medical Council Act with provision to remove all
deformities. Medical profession needs strict disciplinary action.
MCI takes up disciplinary actions only on complaints. Most of the
victims of medical negligence may not be interested in
proceeding against the doctor or may not be aware of the
procedures to be followed. In such cases the council does nothing.
There are rarely any disciplinary action instituted against doctors
guilty of negligence and hardly ever are the doctors punished for
the same.

MCI has a very dismal record as far as enforcement of its own

guidelines is concerned. Laws have no meaning when
enforcement lacks. The professional ethical codes about
advertising in media about clinics and hospitals are there in IMC
act since 1956, but how many professionals are strictly following
these
Guidelines? On how many occasions, did MCI cancel the practice
license of an errant? MCI will also have to indicate very clearly the
mechanisms for implementing the code. On the other hand,
before even making any attempt to rid the medical fraternity of
unethical practices, the body should first set its own house in
order. The MCI must also clear itself from the charges of
corruption and should work independently as a sovereign
competent body free from the shackles of political interference.