The newly-notified Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023, by the National Medical Commission (NMC), has been held in abeyance by the Union government.
The latest development come days after Indian Medical Association (IMA) had written to the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya raising serious concerns on the said regulations.
Earlier, IMA National President Sharad Kumar Agarwal attended the meeting convened by Mandaviya with all the stakeholders to discuss issues on the said regulations.
The regulations made it mandatory for doctors to prescribe only generic drugs and barred them from accepting gifts from pharma companies or endorsing any drug brands.
"That National Medical Commission's Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023, are hereby held in abeyance with immediate effect. That for removal of doubts, it is clarified that the National Medical Commission's Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023, will not be operative and effective till further gazette notification on the subject by the National Medical Commission," said the notification issued by the NMC.
It also said, "That the National Medical Commission hereby adopts and makes effective with immediate effect the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, as if the same have been made by the Commission by virtue of the powers vested under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (Act No. 30 of 2019)."
"That for removal of doubts, it is clarified that Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, will come into force with immediate effect," it added.
Earlier, the IMA while informing the same on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, "Grand victory for IMA against the 2023 regulations notified by the National Medical Commission. The entire set of 2023 regulations that were notified by the NMC has been held in abeyance."
(With inputs from IANS)
