Medical association suggests self-regulatory steps for hospitals

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 11

In the backdrop of cases of alleged medical negligence and overcharging of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, and Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) today put forth a long list of recommendations for self-regulation of hospitals and urged the state governments to subsidise emergencies in private sector and create a reimbursement mechanism.

The IMA also requested the state governments, including the Delhi Government, to cap prices of essential items, including disposables, and do away with differential prices of medicines pushing for a “one-drug-one price policy” in the national Capital.

As per the recommendations, all doctors should ensure that hospital estimates at the time of admission are near to actual and the treating doctor must explain the chances of death and unexpected complications and resultant financial implication at the time of admission.

The patients have to be informed and explained about the cost of the treatment by the doctors, every medical prescription must include counselling on the cost of drugs and investigations and billing has to be transparent. No hospital can force their consultants to work on targets, going by the IMA’s new set of regulations.

“No hospital can force their consultants to work on targets and the choice of drugs and devices should rest with doctors based on affordability of a patient and not the management. Contractual agreements should be in such a way in which both teh parties--consultant and the hospital are equally protected. All hospitals should consider not charging service charges from the consultants,” read a copy of recommendations which the IMA has asked the Indian Medical Council and the Delhi Medical Council to recognise during the bodies’ ethics committee meeting.

IMA president Dr KK Aggarwal said hospitals not abiding with the norms will face a boycott. “It is time for the medical profession to introspect and come out with self-regulation procedures,” he asserted.

“We appeal to the government to classify all disposables under both National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and non-NLEM categories and cap the price of essential ones,” said Dr Aggarwal while noting that till then all medical establishments should sell the disposables at procurement price after adding a predefined fixed margin.

Advising doctors to prescribe affordable medicines, Dr Aggarwal said, “We also appeal to the government to come out with an urgent ordinance for one drug-one company-one price policy. Doctors should actively participate in ensuring that no hospital sells any item priced higher than the MRP. No service charges should be added to procure drugs from outside. MRP shall not be dictated by the purchaser.”

The IMA president maintained the doctor-patient trust has taken a beating in the country as people were looking at the medical profession with suspicion.

“All medical establishments must ensure that their business ethics comply with the MCI ethics and they have a transgender policy," said Dr Aggarwal.

The IMA also announced IMA Medical Redressal Commission at the state level that will be required to conduct social, financial and quality audits of health care (suo motu or on demand).