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'Make pharmaceutical code of marketing practices mandatory'

New Delhi: The Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH) has demanded that the uniform code of pharmaceutical marketing practices (UCPMP) be made mandatory.

Stressing on making it a must, the ADEH in its official press note stated said, "It's unfortunate that even after 5 years, the code remains voluntary. This is despite the fact that several medical organisations have demanded this repeatedly from the government."

Citing media reports, the organization said, "As per media reports, the Prime Minister has also warned pharmaceutical companies not to indulge in unethical practices and stop giving freebies to the doctors with a purpose to procure business."

"However, that any such deliberations occurred in the meeting with the Prime Minister has been denied by the pharmaceutical companies. It may be pointed out here that the companies spend crores of rupees through associations by sponsoring the medical conferences. They spend huge amount on travel, accommodation and other expenditures on the doctors for lavish arrangements of the conferences," ADEH stated in its press release.

The organization of doctors further alleged that the corporate hospitals, which are not covered under this ethics, take advantage and openly flout the ethics.

"They should also be brought under the MCI regulations on ethics. It is also equally important that the any freebies from the pharmaceutical companies be made taxable. These were taxable earlier but the decision was reversed later by the Pune bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal," the ADEH release

said.

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