The doctors in Tamilnadu will be under the scanner of the Tamil Nadu State Medical Council (TNSMC) for violating professional ethics, once the revised code of medical ethics for doctors come into force by end of October this year.
According to sources, the TNSMC executive committee has finalised the revised draft, and will be placed for approval before the general committee meeting on October 29 2003. After the general body approval, the 40 pages odd revised code of ethics would be circulated to all the members TNSMC, and the council would strictly monitor its violations thereafter.
The draft mandates doctors to maintain medical records and display of medical registration number and other recognized medical degrees prominently visible to the patients. In a separate chapter, the draft in detail defines the role of a doctor, definitions on medical profession and the conduct of practitioners. Duties and responsibilities of the doctors in general have been included in the draft. It includes character of physicians, importance of maintaining good medical practice, importance of participating in CME programmes from time to time etc. Besides, the doctors will have to compulsorily write the generic name of the drugs in prescriptions, once the revised code of medical ethics come into force.
The draft also defines the duties of doctors in their profession. It elaborates on the commitment of doctors to the patients on maintaining high standards of medical care, respecting the patients, responsibilities and obligations to the patients, maintenance of confidentiality on medical history and records of patients etc. The draft reminds the doctors on the patients' right to knowledge on diseases and its profile, emergency services and other information. Further, it discusses ethical issues like duties of the doctors towards society, codes of ethics to be followed in clinical research and transplantation.
Another important aspect of the draft is to restrict the doctors from canvassing the patients and from advertising in this regard. Elaborate definitions have been included to the code of ethics to be followed in this regard, said sources.
At the time of registration as a medical practitioner under the Tamilnadu Registration Act, each applicant would be provided with a copy of the revised code of ethics. The applicant should submit a declaration that he/she has read the code of ethics and would abide by the provisions of code of ethics.
The decision of the TNSMC, which was inactive for more than two decades in its role as the watchdog of the medical profession, to revise the code of ethics after more than 90 years since inception, comes in the wake of increasing concern on the lack of ethics among medical practitioners.
A controversy brewed up in the state recently following a television programme aired by the Sun TV channel rating the 'best doctors and hospitals in Tamilnadu', and the state IMA had moved court against the programme. Following this, the TNSMC had issued show cause notices to 12 odd doctors for participating in the programme for violating clause 6 of the Indian Medical Council Act and the Tamilnadu Medical Council Act.