The Kerala Government may bring in necessary legislations to enforce a 'code of conduct' for doctors and other professionals in the healthcare service sector, and measures to eliminate unholy nexus between a section of doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

This has been mentioned in the draft report approved by the cabinet this week on the Modernizing Government Programme (MGP) of the state, aiming to bring about radical reforms in governance to make the service delivery system efficient and responsible, linked to an estimated $6 billion Asian Development Bank (ADB) aid.

MGP, being formulated by a high level steering committee of bureaucrats and authorities, has identified health sector as one among the thrust areas to undergo drastic reforms. Informed sources say the draft report is a clear indication of the policy decisions the Government would take in near future, as per the ADB guidelines.

Sources said the 'Human Resource Development and Poverty Alleviation as per the 10th plan' section of the draft report has elaborately mentioned about the reforms required in the health sector. It clearly mentions the Government should bring in necessary legislations to enact a code of conduct for all in the delivery of healthcare, including doctors, paramedics, officials and other allied sector professionals.

The report said Government should bring in necessary mechanism to monitor treatment and healthcare delivery at various levels. It is necessary to have a code of conduct for the professionals into examination of patients, treatment, counseling etc., said the report.

Further, the report demands to assess and determine the standard of healthcare delivery in the fields of allopathy, Ayurveda and Homeopathy. It is also necessary to study the expenditure for crucial services in healthcare, said the report.

The report also said it was necessary to check the possibility of patients becoming victims of an unholy nexus between medical fraternity and pharmaceutical industry.

Earlier Pharmabiz had reported that under the MGP, the Kerala Government was planning to modernize 118 hospitals in the state as model hospitals, including three district hospitals and a dozen Taluk hospitals, at an investment of Rs.20 crore to improve efficiency and effectiveness of administration. These model hospitals are planned to offer futuristic standards in healthcare delivery, infrastructure and services, and will drastically improve their services to patients and will display all the requisite facilities that have to be offered to patients at the hospital. The people will review performance of the model hospitals periodically, through the existing mechanisms of community participation in administration like Grama Sabhas.

Under this, four out of the 11 Government district hospitals, 10 out of 41 Taluk hospitals and 94 out of 941 public health centres and 11 out of 107 community health centres would be converted as model hospitals.