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The National Medical Commission's (NMC) latest regulation on professional conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) has seen wide opposition from the medical practitioners and related organisations, and now by the medical devices industry too.
In a panel discussion hosted by the Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) and the NATHEALTH, opined that the guidelines have imposed impractical and retrograde restrictions on third party educational activities, while the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) is finalising a more rationale code of marketing practices. The panel discussion was part of the India MedTech Expo 2023 held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in the second half of August, by DoP and FICCI.
The draft Uniform Code for Medical Device Marketing Practices (UCMDMP) was put together meticulously by the DoP after thorough stakeholder consultations with industry, patient groups, healthcare practitioners, etc, said the panel.
This code included the necessary checks to ensure ethical marketing practices in the medical device industry and at the same time permitted training initiatives for the Healthcare workers which is essential to keep up with the ever-evolving innovation in the MedTech space and achieve our ambitions of providing trained healthcare workers for the world.
"However, while the finalisation of this code is still awaited, NMC has implemented the Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) guidelines which have imposed impractical and retrograde restrictions on doctors’ participation in third party educational activities," said MTaI in a press release related to the event.
The National Medical Commission Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023, notified by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the NMC on August 2, says that RMPs and their families must not receive any gifts, travel facilities, hospitality, cash or monetary grants,consultancy fee or honorariums, or access to entertainment or recreation from pharmaceutical companies or their representatives, commercial healthcare establishments, medical device companies, or corporate hospitals under any pretext.
"Also, RMPs should not be involved in any third-party educational activity like CPD, seminar, workshop, symposia, conference, etc., which involves direct or indirect sponsorships from pharmaceutical companies or the allied health sector. RMP should be aware of the conflict-of-interest situations that may arise," it said.
The nature of these relationships should be in the public domain such as clinical drug trials and should not be in contravention of any law, rule, or regulation in force. RMP himself or as part of any society, organization, association, trust, etc. make regarding the relationship with the pharmaceutical and allied health sector industry clear and transparent open to scrutiny, it added.
The panel, in a session on ‘Future Trends in MedTech for Geriatric & Home-based Care’, also sought the government’s help on resolving GST anomalies, non-coverage under ABPMJAY and other government schemes.
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