MEDICAL ETHICS FOR SELF-REGULATION OF MEDICAL PROFESSION AND PRACTICE Aditi Iyer Amar Jesani CEHAT Prepared for Independent Commission on Health in India 40 Institutional Area, South of IIT New Delhi 110 016 Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, Research Centre of Anusandhan Trust, Survey No. 2804 & 2805, Aaram Society Road, Vakola, Santacruz East, Mumbai – 400055, Maharashtra, India; Ph:(+91-22) 26673154, 26673571; Fax : 26673156; Email :
[email protected]; www.cehat.org CONTENTS Acknowledgements 1. Self-regulation of Medical Profession: Concept and History 2. The Political Economy of Medical Malpractice 3. Regulation of the Medical Profession: The Scope of Legislation 4. The Functioning of Councils 5. Conclusions and recommendations References and Bibliography 1 Acknowledgements The data collection from the statutory and professional bodies responsible to implement codes of medical ethics is always a difficult task. The experience in this study is not so different in that sense. However, we were fortunate in meeting few individuals who showed some interest in the study and answered our questions. We thank all of them. Our involvement and interaction with the Forum for Medical Ethics Society and its experiences in contesting the “rigged” elections of the Maharashtra Medical Council gave us insight into the functioning of professional bodies. We are thankful to its members. We are also thankful to nurses, doctors and health activists who discussed with us on the subject from time to time. This study was done for the Independent Commission on Health in India (ICHI). The study would have benefited a lot from the participants of the workshop that ICHI had promised to organise to discuss this as well other studies.