This is for the first time that the medical body is taking action for solicitation
For the first time, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has suspended the registration of two city doctors for three months for putting up advertisements, which is a violation of medical ethics.
Both the doctors provide infertility treatment. The suspension by MMC means that both cannot practise for the next three months.
The MMC action against comes under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
"This is the first time the council suspended two doctors for putting up advertisements. These two claimed guarantee of treatment and offered to return money to patients if they don't not got the results," Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, executive committee member, MMC, said.
"Medical Council of India's code of ethics suggests doctors can't advertise. We issued warning letters to them earlier, after which they gave an apology letter," said Wankhedkar.
The doctors, he said, put up advertisements again.
After corporate hospitals entered the medical field, there is huge competition. These hospitals put doctors' names in advertisements to attract patients.
"No doctor can make high claims about any procedure. As per Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, doctors cannot solicit patients directly or indirectly," said Wankhedkar.
Section 6.1 of the MCI's code of medical ethics says a doctor cannot advertise for himself or herself alone or together with other doctors
MMC is a statutory body with powers to suspend a doctor's licence if s/he is found guilty of malpractice. Only those doctors registered with MMC can practise in Maharashtra. Over 70,000 doctors are registered with the MMC.
Infertility centres are mushrooming across the city and thousands of childless couple approach them. According to the National Registry of Assisted Reproductive Technology, Clinics and Banks in India, there are 385 registered infertility clinics across the country. Mumbai and Navi Mumbai alone have 47 clinics.
Last September, MMC issued show-cause notices to 40 doctors for putting up advertisements on print, TV and social media. After a hearing, some doctors were issued warning letters and some were suspended.
What is IVF?
In private hospitals, IVF treatment can set one back by Rs 1-2 lakh. IVF is the process by which eggs are removed from the ovaries and mixed with sperm in a laboratory culture dish. Fertilisation takes place in this dish. In vitro means 'in glass'. The fertilised egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient's uterus. Thousands of IVF babies have been born since the first in 1978.
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