Cuts inflict shame on medical profession

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 23

The practice of hiring public relation officers-cum-marketing managers by hospitals/testing labs/radiologists has not gone down well with the Punjab Medical Council (PMC).

The council feels that doctors are getting cuts for referring patients to professionals recommended by these managers.

The hospital authorities send their public relation officers to doctors. They offer commission to the latter and ask them to send a good number of patients to their labs, heart and vascular centres, diagnostic centres for various tests.

Council to act tough

The Punjab Medical Council termed the practice a blot on the profession. Dr GS Grewal, president, Punjab Medical Council, said they were receiving complaints that doctors were taking commission from public relation officers hired by the diagnostic centres/ test labs/radiologists.

“The PROs are on the radar of the council. A retired principal of a medical college, who runs a lab here, charges Rs 2,500 for an MRI and Rs 1,000 for CT scan. If the amount is increased, the doctor will come under scanner. One of the subsided centres in the city is giving Rs 800 per scan for referral,” added Dr Grewal. The president said several NGOs had been contacted and requested to help the PMC in checking the practice.

A radiologist said such arrangements were there in the judiciary and bureaucracy.

“Doctors are soft targets. If we stop giving cuts, we will suffer losses. Patients will be routed to some other centres.

Commenting on the issue, Dr Iqbal Singh Ahuja, a gynaecologist, said, “One need not hire public relation officers. If your work is good, nothing can stop you.”

A patient said, “We have to do whatever the doctor says. We don’t even know if such expensive tests are required.”