Category: Letters
October 10, 2016
Incentives, pay hikes and timely promotions enhance the job performance of an employee. In medical institutes, too, satisfied teachers would train students in a better way leading to better equipped doctors and ultimately, greater patient satisfaction. A study in Malaysia links high levels of sat...
Anupama Sukhlecha
July 04, 2016
The Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, state that "Every physician should, as far as possible, prescribe drugs with generic names and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs.". Undergraduate medical students ar...
Ashwin Kamath
July 04, 2016
Across the world, homosexuality is gaining legitimacy; stigma and discrimination are gradually giving way to equality and inclusion. The situation in India is in stark contrast to these trends. In this country, homosexuality is an offence as per Section 377 of the IPC. The homosexual community is...
Suravi Patra
July 04, 2016
"She wasn't like you...wasn't like any politician I've ever known." Ethan Kanin, Secretary of State about US president Allison Taylor in the US serial, 24. When an ethical dilemma arises, the choices we make decide our ethical concerns and moral position in a given situation. In the TV s...
DS Sheriff
July 04, 2016
The use of drugs to enhance cognitive function and academic performance is clearly a global phenomenon, with the reported prevalence of stimulant use among medical students ranging from 15-20%. A multi-institution study from the USA reported a 6.9% lifetime prevalence of non-prescription use of c...
Susmita Chandramouleeswaran, Natasha Catherine Edwin, Wesley Rajaleelan
October 10, 2016
Over-the-counter use of medication via chemists, including the use of psychiatric medication, has always been a cause of worry in the Indian subcontinent. Over the last two years, the rules on dispensing psychiatric medication have become stringent and chemists have to dispense the exact amount o...
Avinash De Sousa
October 10, 2016
In the wake of the Medical Council of India's (MCI) take on the promotion of faculty recently, it is clear that the faculty of medical institutions across the country are in a state of alarm. A situation in which the whole onus of research is put on the faculty is quite quirky when there is no co...
Mrinal Prakash Barua, Vivek Mishra, Mukesh Singla
May 05, 2016
With reference to the article "Passive euthanasia in India: a critique", authored by Ms Rohini Shukla and published online on August 5, 2015, I would like to make a few comments and highlight the following points. First, the author notes that Section 309 IPC has been decriminalised. This is not s...
Mohit Gupta
January 01, 2016
Indian cinema has progressed in the recent past. Many directors have broken the mould of the typical "masala" film and their cinema resonates with real life. However, the representation of psychiatric illnesses and psychiatrists in Indian films still reflects the populist melodrama.
Susmita Chandramouleeshwaran, Natasha Catherine Edwin, Wesley Rajaleelan
January 01, 2016
This letter raises some serious issues about continuing dental education (CDE) points instituted by the Dental Council of India (DCI) – the apex body that regulates dental education. The DCI has recommended 150 CDE points over a period of 5 years with a minimum of 20 points a year and a maximum o...
Thorakkal Shamim