IMA to teach dos and donts of advertising

After the news of Maharashtra Medical Council suspending the registration of a doctor couple took centre stage recently, IMA has made clear its intent to educate its 2.5 lakh members on what to do and not to do in advertising.

In other words, IMA has started a campaign to make aware its members about the do's and don'ts of advertising.

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With respect to this decision by the medical association, IMA honorary secretary general Dr K K Agarwal has implied in his statement that the prime objective is to help our members understand what is allowed when it comes to medical advertising. On the other hand, we expect our members not to be in violation of medical ethics under the "Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002,".

"In addition, as we understand that not all our members are aware of the ethics regulations, we decided to start this campaign to highlight the subtle difference between announcements and advertising. Also, we have observed that with the emergence of corporate hospitals there has been some change in the way doctors and hospitals present themselves."

State IMA head Dr Jayesh Lele also implied that that the state and local IMA branches will also be involved as a part of the awareness process.

The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, clearly state that doctors cannot solicit patients directly or indirectly. "No doctor can make high claims about any procedure," said a press release issued by IMA.