PG Diploma in Medical Law and Policy: Gujarat Doctors to Learn Law at GNLU

Ahmedabad: Doctors in Gujarat are now going to study law since around 40 doctors from the state have now got themselves enrolled for PG Diploma Course in Medical Law and Policy (PGDCMLP) at Gujarat National Law University (GNLU).

This one-year doctors-only course has been launched by GNLU in collaboration with the Gujarat State Branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) to address the increasing number of medico-legal cases.

Those doctors who have got themselves admitted for the PGDCMLP course belong to different specialties including cardiology, neuroscience, paediatrics, orthopaedics, ENT, oncology and psychiatry. During the one-year tenure of this PG diploma course, the doctors will learn about the intersection of medical field and law.

Referring to the course, the secretary of IMA-GSB, Dr Mehul Shah pointed out how in the recent years, many laws and regulations have been introduced to the medical field.

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Mentioning that for altogether 40 seats, they got more than 60 registrations, he further added, “While the practising doctors’ focus might not be on the legal framework per se, the idea is to introduce them to the legal provisions in emerging fields such as surrogacy, organ transplant, biomedical research, genetics, etc. We are focusing more on the younger doctors.”

While commenting on the matter, Dr Piyush Patnaik, vice-president (clinical operations) at Sterling Accuris Diagnostics, who is one of the students of the first batch, told the Times of India, “Looking at the recent spate of cases, it becomes increasingly important for the doctors to know a little bit about medico-legal ethics and laws. With many corporate hospitals coming up and doctors taking up administrative roles, the knowledge of law adds another dimension.”

It’s not just about law – it’s also about policymaking and understanding the ethics associated with the profession,” added Dr Gopal Shah, another student of this Diploma course and also the HoD Neurosurgery at KD Hospital.

“At times, when we encounter complex cases or surgeries, aspects like proper paperwork and compliance to the rules are important, and the course will provide the framework for practitioners like me,” he further mentioned.

Referring to the newly introduced doctors-only course, the Director of GNLU, Prof S Shanthakumar told the daily that it is one of the few tailor-made courses for the practising doctors across the country.

He added, “With rapidly changing landscape of the medical and legal fields, the course will also see update based on inputs from bodies such as IMA.”

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