Medical Council of India and the Indian Medical Association: uneasy relations.

ABSTRACT

The Medical Council of India (MCI), in a rare act, suspended the licences of the president and secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for six months, on the grounds that they had performed an unethical act in endorsing products of PepsiCo and Dabur. The MCI’s action followed a one-person campaign by Dr Babu KV, starting in June 2008, first to the MCI, then to the government of India and the National Human Rights Commision..The Delhi High Court has stayed the action of the MCI. The deal was worth Rs.2.25 crore and he endorsements were to continue from 2008 to 2011. There is no doubt that the IMA is in contravention of the code of thics prescribed for doctors by the MCI, and, therefore, action is in order. The IMA, instead of appealing against the quantum of punishment, has taken an adversarial stance on the verdict itself and obtained a stay on the order.