The
Medical council of Tamil Nadu recently forbade doctors from having websites
saying it was ‘unethical and amounts to advertisement’.
As India
moves towards becoming Digital India, as Justice Lodha frames new rules for the
Medical Council of India, isn’t it time we revisited the principles governing
the practice of Medicine in India?
It’s a small world
We’re
going global. The world wants to come to India for Medical treatment because
Indian doctors are knowledgeable, experienced and healthcare in India is
reasonably priced. How can doctors announce themselves to the world without
even a website? Patients never go to hospitals. They go to a particular doctor.
Websites for doctors are a must in today’s world.
Double role
Doctors
are not merely medicine men or women. Or surgeons. They may be owners of a
clinic, a nursing home or a hospital. They may have invested in real estate and
equipment. They employ other doctors, nursing staff, paramedical workers,
receptionists, managers, and even cooks and cleaners. They pay commercial
prices in rent, electricity and water supply. They have to maintain everything
in pristine condition since it is lives they deal with. They pay insurance and
for various permissions. How do they keep all this going without at least
announcing their presence and services offered by them in the form of a
hoarding, a website, or a ‘yellow page listing’? The moment they do this, they
get slapped with notices from their Medical Councils that it’s unethical to
advertise. But if a non medico or a non allopathic doctor owns a hospital, [they
can advertise because the Medical Councils can only suspend licences of
allopathic doctors] that's okay. Many societies where our clinics are located don’t allow even
a decent sized board visible from the street. How will people know we are there
to look after them? Please give the poor MBBS a break.
Piece of the pie
Another
of our PM Modi’s plans for India is to curb the parallel economy. How does a
doctor fill his or her hospital if they can’t announce themselves to the
community? They resort to malpractices like ‘cuts’ or referral fees to other
doctors who refer patients, even to Hospital receptionists, ward boys, cab
drivers, ‘agents’ anybody who sends them patients. And from where does this
money come? From hiding income and not paying tax. By forbidding websites and
announcements in the press, the government is just fueling the Black economy. Let patients
directly find their doctors instead and do away with all middle men. This will also
curb unindicated surgeries or tests.
The privileged clubs
Who
benefits from the ‘no advertisement’ clause? Corporate hospitals-because they
can advertise. Clinic chains. Old established doctors because the competition
gets no mileage-they are the ones on all committees and councils and very keen
on this rule. The American Medical association has done away with this rule for
this very reason. In today’s world where people settle wherever their job takes
them, patients need the digital world to find a good doctor. The good old
family doctor cannot advise you on who is best. A corporate hospital or clinic
chain may have really young and raw doctors to attend to you or a doctor who
knows the owner or is politically connected to get the attachment- not
necessarily the best doctor for the job.
Boundaries
We don’t
want to make tall claims or quote false results. We just want to be allowed to
inform the public at large that here is a doctor with these degrees who can
treat you for these conditions at this price. Or who has special expertise in a
particular area. Or who offers extras like a weekend clinic or low priced
clinic or all women staff or senior consultants or unique procedures. Nobody
forces patients to a treatment. We want them to make an informed choice. And
maybe talk to other patients of ours for a feedback.
Why me?
Miracle
cures are announced by homeopaths, ayurveda practioners, gym owners, dieticians,
fitness experts in all newspapers and magazines and on the net all the time. No
action is taken against them. Why be so very strict with allopathic doctors who
don’t want to make tall claims, just to announce their existence on a street,
an area, a city or a country? The Medical councils are welcome to issue strict
warnings in case false claims are made or miracle cures announced. But to
completely take away our right to put up signages or websites is extreme.
Dog eat dog
In an
intensely competitive world, often it’s the competition that complains about a
doctor who has made any kind of announcement thereby threatening the existing
kings or queens. News paper interviews are given or such complaints ‘leaked’ to
newspapers to demean the doctor and ruin his or her reputation and practice
–benefitting the one who complained. By all means take action against offenders
but let there be a law against vilification of doctors by other doctors or
administrative officials or going to the press before a case is tried in court.
Just as there is a law against physical abuse against doctors let there be a
law against newspaper statements or cyber abuse.
Multi headed hydra
Okay.
Today you forbid websites. And Facebook pages. Tomorrow Whatsapp accounts,
yellow pages like Justdial, Practo, Sulekha, then Instagram, Snapchat, apps for doctors, google adverts, use of SEOs , PR
firms, advertorials in short, wipe out a doctor's existence in print or the virtual world. For every head you cut, two will spring in its place. We
don’t even know what new technology tomorrow will bring. How can Medical
Councils keep tabs on everything and everyone? It’s time to get real and allow doctors
a level playing field within reasonable boundaries of course. We don’t want to
‘solicit’ patients or ‘advertise’ or claim greatness. We just want to inform
the public and announce our presence on the web and on the street where we
work.
May the best get their due.