Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18687

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Publication type: news

Nagarajan R
Won't endorse products against MCI norms: IMA
The Times of India 2010 Aug 26
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Wont-endorse-products-against-MCI-norms-IMA/articleshow/6436064.cms

Full text:

Bringing a two-year tussle to an end, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has decided that it will not endorse any products as that would be against the Medical Council of India’s ( MCI) regulations.

The decision comes soon after the MCI’s ethics committee issued a showcause notice to the IMA for endorsing products like Tropicana juices and Quaker Oats. The ethics committee, which met a couple of days back, decided to issue a show cause notice and has sought a reply by September 1. Dr Dharam Prakash, secretary general of the IMA, when contacted, confirmed that they had received the showcause notice and said the IMA was preparing the reply.

“We have not endorsed any product in the last two years, 2009 and 2010. And whatever endorsements were done before that, will be coming to an end in 2011. Some of the MoUs for endorsements have lapsed and we have not renewed them. We have also written to the companies that we will not be continuing the endorsement. As a policy, IMA has decided that we will not be doing any more endorsements,” said Dr Dharam Prakash.

However, he said that commitments IMA had made before the law against endorsements came into force in December 2009 will have to be completed. “We are trying to get out of it, but we can’t just shrug out of commitments made as an organisation,” added Dr Dharam Prakash.

Dr K V Babu of Payyanur in Kerala had objected to the endorsements by IMA. He had filed a complaint as far back as June 2008 on the grounds that it was against MCI’s own code of ethics for any professional body of doctors to endorse any product. However, no action has been taken so far despite even the NHRC, on a complaint from Dr Babu, seeking appropriate action on the issue.

In November 2008, the Central Working Committee of the IMA had approved the MoU signed with Pepsi to endorse Quaker Oats and Tropicana juices and the MoU with Dabur to endorse its Odomos cream, gel and lotions. The endorsements, to be in operation till March 2011, brought in Rs 2.25 crore for the IMA.

When contacted, Dr Babu said that he was happy that his two-year long fight against his own community had finally borne fruit. However, he did not agree with the IMA’s decision to continue commitments that extend till 2011.

“Endorsement is clearly against the code of ethics. Nobody should be given a safe passage to continue the endorsement. Once a law has been enacted, it has to be implemented at all cost. Hence, the endorsement should be cancelled with immediate effect instead of waiting till 2011,” said Dr Babu.