Vol , Issue Date of Publication: April 01, 2002

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CORRESPONDENCE


Doctors advertising, and drug companies’ pressures

I enclose an advertisement which appeared in the Thane Plus edition of The Times of India, August 19, 2001. It gives details of a prominent psychiatrist’s schedule, his services and hospital address where he can be contacted. This is blatant advertising to procure more patients. This colleague has gone overboard and crossed all lines of ethics. It is strange that a reputed newspaper like the TOI should actually comply despite knowing that advertisement is not allowed in the medical profession.

Second, medical representatives have been watching me with the help of chemists to see whether I was prescribing their drugs, and if not, which drugs were prescribed instead. This is clearly encroaching on my liberty to prescribe the drugs of my choice. They actually tell me the details of drugs I had prescribed and how their product was not pushed despite their requests.

Thirdly, some doctors in Mumbra, Kalwa and areas surrounding these suburbs display their signboards. These boards are not close to their hospitals, but at strategic locations nearly five km away from the hospital, giving details of doctors, their services and directions on how to get there. A board for a Mumbra hospital was found outside Panvel. At regular intervals the signboard is repeated, reminding the traveller about the hospital. Is this ethical?

I hope FMES will look into these issues and let us have guidelines on what actions to take.

Name withheld on request.
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