Hospitals, nursing homes get new code of ethics

NEW DELHI: A new code of ethics will now govern hospitals, nursing homes and other similar medical establishments, prohibiting any malpractices such as earning cuts, commissions, inflating patients' bills and accepting freebies. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has recently issued the broad guidelines for healthcare providers and asked them to put it on display.

A Budhist Monastery of Li, Himalayas

The present declaration, passed by IMA, highlights that hospitals or other such establishments will not "accept expensive gifts, cash benefits or gratification from the drug and equipment suppliers, diagnostics centres or similar agencies". It also clearly states that unjustified admissions or billing to patients, giving cuts and commissions to anyone for soliciting patients, over-billing in claim cases or improper entries in insurance forms will be considered 'unethical or illegal' as is the case with sheltering any criminal from law and pre-natal sex determination. 

The idea is to prepare a basic guideline for regulation of hospitals and other such medical establishments, which currently remains completely unmonitored. 

The move comes in the wake of reports of hospitals engaging in unethical practices, mainly giving or accepting cuts or commissions and for unjustified billing among other things. 

[excerpts. the times of india]