MCI quantifies punishments for doctors accepting gifts

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has suggested some modifications to the regulations notified in December last that put a blanket ban on doctors for accepting gifts, travel facilities and hospitality from pharmaceutical companies in lieu of promoting their products.

While quantifying punishment for medical practitioners violating the provisions of the December 2009 Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, the MCI has suggested various degrees of punishments for doctors who accept gifts worth Rs.1,000 from any pharmaceutical or allied healthcare company instead of a total ban including one on research projects.

The punishments range from censure (for accepting gifts valued between Rs.1,000 and Rs.5,000) to removal from the Indian or State Medical Registry for more than one year (for accepting gifts worth more than Rs.1,00,000).

The recommendations, sent to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry for notification, also address other grey areas, including sponsorship of travel and lodging of medical practitioners participating in a conference, monetary grants and the question of clinical research funding.

According to the recommendations, a medical practitioner will not accept any travel facility within the country or outside, any kind of hospitality or cash or monetary gifts for self or family members for a vacation or even for attending conferences, seminars or continuing medical education programmes as a delegate. Punishment for violation of these clauses can range from censure to removal from Indian or State Medical Register for more than a year.

However, in the case of medical research projects funded by pharmaceutical and allied healthcare companies, the medical practitioner will have to take due permission from the competent authorities and ensure that such a research project has the clearance of national/State or institutional ethics committees and see to it that all prescribed legal requirements are fulfilled.

The source and amount of the funding has to be publicly disclosed at the beginning itself, proper facilities have to be provided to human volunteers if necessary for the project, and undue animal experimentations are not to be carried out. Importantly, the researcher will have the freedom to publish the results of the research in the greater interest of society and there shall be no compromise either with his or with the autonomy of the medical institution while conducting research.

Any kind of violation for the first time will invite censure but repeating the offence could invite the removal of the practitioner's name from the Medical Register. The period of removal would depend on the clause violated.

A medical practitioner is also not allowed to endorse any drug or product publicly and any study conducted on the efficacy or otherwise of these products will have to be presented to appropriate scientific bodies or published in an appropriate scientific journal.

“With these recommendations, we are looking at strict implementation of the regulations,” MCI president Ketan Desai said. There was some ambiguity on a few clauses in the regulations notified in December. “By clearly defining these we have resolved any confusion,” he said.

Keywords: Medical Council of India, MCI, regulations, ban, accepting gifts, pharmaceutical companies

Food that keeps your heart healthy

It is well known that eating a Mediterranean diet (Italian or Greek) is beneficial for the heart.

Now, the February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's Health Source has covered key components of this diet as well as reasons why this approach is known as a heart-healthy eating  .

Key components include:
1. Eating generous amounts of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. In most Mediterranean countries, fruits and vegetables are part of every meal. They are naturally low in fat and sodium and have no cholesterol. Many are loaded with antioxidants, which may help prevent cholesterol build-up in the arteries.

2. Breads, pastas and rice are typically made from whole grains instead of grains that have been refined and lost some nutritional value. Whole grains provide an excellent source of fiber and contain a variety of vitamins and minerals. Certain types of dietary fiber also can help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower the overall risk of heart disease.

3. Getting most fats from healthy sources. Olive oil is the primary fat used in Mediterranean cooking. This type of monounsaturated fat can help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels when used in place of unhealthy saturated fats or trans fats. Other healthy fats in the Mediterranean diet include polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in vegetable oils, nuts and fish.

4. Consuming very little red meat and eating generous amounts of legumes. Red meat isn't a big part of the Mediterranean diet. Legumes, a class of vegetables that includes beans, peas and lentils -- offer a source of protein that's typically low in fat and contains no cholesterol.

5. Drink wine, in moderation. Some research has shown that a light intake of alcohol is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. In the Mediterranean, the alcoholic beverage consumed most is wine, which may offer slightly greater heart health benefits than other forms of alcohol. For women (and men over age 65), the recommendation is no more than one glass, or 5 ounces, of wine daily. For men under age 65, it's no more than two glasses, or 10 ounces, daily.

6. Other aspects of the Mediterranean diet include dining on fish or shellfish as least twice a week; lesser amounts of dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt; incorporating small portions of nuts and seeds daily; eating sweets only on occasion; using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavour food; getting plenty of physical activity; and eating meals with family and friends.

Courtesy: ANI and Times of India Feb 12/02/2010