Council urges PM to curb medical graft

New Delhi, June 11

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Terming medical corruption as the worst form of graft in the country, a top functionary of the Punjab Medical Council (PMC) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring in a strong law to curb the menace.

In an open letter to Modi, PMC president GS Grewal said there were primarily three types of medical corruption - exorbitantly priced drugs, cuts and commissions to the referring doctors, and needlessly referring patients for diagnostic tests.

Noting that the medical profession was no longer noble, Grewal said referring patients for tests without any need had given rise to the medical mafia, even as politicians were siding with the erring doctors.

He said there was a need to purge the healthcare system to make it affordable, which was possible without harming the interests of the medical fraternity.

“Only a strong law with strict implementation can act as a strong deterrent against medical corruption, cheating and fraud. Otherwise, desperate and helpless patients will continue to get exploited and fleeced and even dispossessed of their possessions, earnings and savings,” he added. PTI