Doctors Divided on Live Surgeries: NMC to form committee to take a call

Should live surgeries be allowed in India?

This has indeed become a matter of huge debate ever since a plea was filed in the Supreme Court, last month, questioning the ethics and legal implications of the live broadcast of surgical procedures.

While one faction of the medical fraternity does believe that that live surgeries are indeed risky and pose a strong risk to patient safety with the presence of many distractions to the performing surgeon, there is another faction that believes that these types of surgeries are integral to medical education and one of the best ways of training young doctors on various surgical modalities 

With this question now hanging at the doors of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex medical regulator is in the procees of constituting a committee to assess the implications of live broadcast of surgical procedures on patients, the issue of consent and the importance of dissemination of knowledge through such exercises.

The various aspects of live surgeries will be debated upon and assessed and the committee will have stakeholders from patient groups, associations, doctors and academics, Dr Yogendra Malik, member of NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board said on Tuesday.

Also Read:Live surgery like Virat Kohli batting and commentating simultaneously: SC plea demands strict monitoring, guidelines

Last month, the Supreme Court had sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea raising legal and ethical questions over live broadcast of surgical procedures, with the petitioners likening it to Virat Kohli batting and commentating at the same time.

The bench had said it will leave the issue to be considered by the NMC. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, said surgeries are being performed live with several people watching and asking doctors conducting the procedure questions. “This is like Virat Kohli batting and also giving commentary,” he told the bench, adding live broadcast of surgical procedures posed a huge risk to patients under the knife.

He referred to a news report about the death of a patient whose surgery was being broadcast live, and said in some cases, people belonging to lower economic strata are induced to go for it. The petitioners claimed advertisements and sponsorships were the main motivations for conducting such procedures.