New Delhi: The Central Government has issued a notification keeping in abeyance the new professional code of conduct for doctors that was introduced recently.
The freezing of the code comes 23 days after the notification regarding it was issued.
Organisations such as the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance had demanded the withdrawal of some conditions laid down in the code.
The National Medical Commission has announced, through a notification, that as the new code has been frozen, the Indian Medical Council’s 2002 code of conduct had come into force once again.
The Central government has not explained the reason for its action. The IMA, which is an association of doctors, had raised its opposition to the condition that physicians should prescribe the generic name of medicines. The demand of the organisation was that this condition should be held over till the authorities ensure the quality of all medicines.
The doctors’ association had also expressed the members' concern over the proviso that they should not take part in conferences sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. The IMA has welcomed the decision to freeze the new code of conduct.
The frozen code had provisions for denying treatment to a patient for not paying the fees agreed upon, although it had prohibited doctors from refusing to provide emergency care.
The circular issued by the National Medical Commission in June, as part of restructuring the MBBS course, was also withdrawn in a similar manner.
