Maharashtra Medical Council on anti-commission campaign
The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) recently wrote to medical associations across the state to ask them to proactively stop the illegal practice among doctors of giving cuts to fellow medical practitioners for referring patients.
The MMC is the quasi-judicial body that oversees the working of doctors practising modern medicine. "We will reach hundreds of associations that conduct continued medical education programmes through our accreditation programme," an MMC official said.
MMC president Dr Kishor Taori said the statutory body wanted to start a campaign against the commission practice.
"We want to start a mission by asking each association, be it for radiologists or surgeons, to sensitize their members against this unethical practice," Taori said. "Cut practice hits the doctor-patient relationship and it should be stopped."
MMC has already reached out to various branches of the Indian Medical Associations. "We have found support for this mission in many areas such as Vidharbha, Latur and Aurangabad, with association members already promising to stop the cut practice," Taori said.
But there was no such movement in the city.
MMC members pointed to a recent news report from the US about an Indian-origin radiologist getting a 46-month jail sentence for bribing other doctors to send patients to him for a scan.