The arrest of Ketan Desai, president of the Medical Council of India, on charges of corruption came as shocking news to many, especially in the backdrop of the measures that he had initiated last year to clean up the nefarious links between unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies and doctors who allegedly prescribed medicines in lieu of benefits.

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The teacher of urology at an Ahmedabad college, Desai has been held for receiving “heavy monetary considerations” in return for permission to a Patiala college to start some courses. All the loud claims made by Desai now seem hollow and more revelations could be expected as the country’s top investigating agency is handling the case.

Considering the powers that are vested with the Medical Council of India —- from keeping a close scrutiny on the medical education system to setting regulations in checking doctors’ activities —- it is very likely that high positions may have been misused.

While it will be a tedious and time consuming process to find the truth regarding allegations on Desai’s alleged bribery case, the moot question that needs to be addressed now is how to restore sanity in the medical profession.

Even while moves were being made to cleanse the system with stricter enforcement of the ethics code for the doctors, it is heard that some medical professionals did try to find ways in which their “friendly links” with pharmaceutical companies could continue without hurdles.

Ironically, Ketan Desai had not just spoken about disciplining doctors considering favours, he had also voiced moves to punish pharmaceutical companies that encouraged or influenced doctors in prescribing medicines.

With absolutely no methodical approach to check or control the menace, there is no sure shot way to restrict doctors from accepting favours from pharma companies and neither can the drug makers be stopped from ambitious promotion programmes.

What can work effectively though is an active and alert government machinery, exemplified by the way the CBI sleuths swooped in to catch Desai. The government agencies should look into the operations of leading physicians and surgeons and make an effort to know how much they are doing in catering to the patients from economically weak backgrounds.

Newspapers, in the aftermath of Desai’s arrest, carried statements from city doctors who expressed their displeasure over Desai’s past conduct. These doctors, who may have some ethics left, should come together and voice their views more openly. May be they can show to the rest of their fraternity that ethical practices can be held high and a new beginning can be made.

The government can actually facilitate more constructive interactions between patient groups, pharmaceutical companies and doctors to educate the consumers about the medicine market in India. There is no reason for twenty different brands in the same category to have high variation in prices.

There should be government-sponsored studies to find out exactly how much the promotion cost of medicines is and of the complete spending on a patient’s sickness, how much is charged by the doctors or the hospitals.

The government has to a large extent kept the prices of medicines in check but there are no norms to check the fees that doctors can charge from a patient. In Mumbai, some doctors charge over Rs 1,000 for their consultations and still have appointments booked for over three weeks. This cannot be acceptable.

Doctors are supposed to be in a noble profession, but that is hardly the case anymore. Some practitioners even defend their high patient charges and explain that costs of their higher education need to be recovered.

India has largely failed to put in place a structured healthcare system and health insurance has made the bare minimal impact so far. The government has been busy opening up the telecom sector, but there hasn’t been much thought on effecting a universal healthcare plan.

Pharmaceutical companies on their part are trying to balance their corporate compulsions with affordability and so the medical professionals need to do their bit in restoring their fast eroding reputation and showing some responsibility in prescribing the right medicine and charging the right fees.

Some doctors are doing a lot in that direction, but it could well be a case of the greater mass prevailing over a few unsung heroes.

Pillman is an executive closely linked to the global pharma industry.