New Guidelines For Doctors By The National Medical Commission! Here Are The New Do's And Don'ts For Doctors

Being a doctor is perhaps the noblest profession in the world, but sadly, that does not mean that doctors are immune to ill-treatment from the very same people they serve. However, not anymore!

As per the new guidelines by the National Medical Commission (NMC), doctors may now deny treatment to patients and relatives who are unruly, violent, or abusive. This is not just the only new guideline for doctors. Here are all the novel guidelines for doctors introduced by the National Medical Commission.

The themes covered

The guideline freshly presented for doctors is an extensive 60-page guideline. The guidelines talk about the use of social media by doctors, and they affirm that doctors may use social media only for the purposes of educating the masses, and not for soliciting the patients. The provisions also mention what medical degrees can a doctor actually state on the prescription pads. Not to miss, the guidelines also talk about the type of advertisements that doctors are allowed to put. Additionally, provisions are also mentioned on themes like teleconsultations and the records a doctor must keep. In order to put a halt to faulty activities, the new guidelines also warn doctors against activities such as receiving commissions from diagnostic laboratories and pharmacies, and more.

The highlight of these guidelines could be the provision that states that no doctor is entitled to deny abortions or birth control measures due on the basis of religious beliefs.

Here are the guidelines on the above-shared themes:

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On the right to deny treatment

This provision is a robust one, as it entitles the doctors with the right to deny treatment in cases where patients or their family members behave in a violent, unruly, or abusive manner. The Registered Medical Practitioner (in simple terms, doctors can report and document the behaviour and deny providing treatment to the patient. The guidelines say that such patients then ought to be referred for further treatment somewhere else.

Additionally, the doctors also hold the right as per the new guidelines to refuse treatment in case the patient cannot pay them. As per the guidelines, the consultation fees should be brought to the knowledge of the patient prior to the examination or treatment. The patients should be provided with a reasonable estimation of the surgery or treatment cost in order to enable a well-thought and informed decision by the patient.

The guidelines, however, prohibit doctors from denying treatment in situations of medical emergencies. Doctors have also been instructed not to discriminate on any social, cultural, or economic grounds or on the basis of religion, gender, race, and caste.

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On writing prescriptions

According to the novel guidelines, doctors have been instructed to present the prescription in capital letters in legible handwriting. Doctors have been instructed to prescribe only generic medications, except in cases where the medicines hold a narrow therapeutic index, which means, drugs where only a small difference in the dosage may result in adverse results, and in other exceptional situations.

The new guidelines also instruct doctors to make use of fixed-dose combinations, wherein the doctors are instructed to prescribe only those combinations that are rational and approved. Doctors are also instructed to enlighten the people on generics actually being equivalent to the branded ones. The doctors are also asked to urge pharmacies to stock generic medicines and also encourage the masses to buy drugs from Jan Aushadhi Kendras, along with other generic drug outlets.

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