Several doctors are fuming after the Medical Council of India summoned a few medicos over ethics and corporate-sponsored research issues.

At least 20 doctors from the state — of around 300 across the country — were summoned to appear before the Medical Council of India (MCI) ethics committee on Tuesday for their alleged acceptance of undue favour from medicine companies in lieu of prescribing their drugs.

Patients, however, feel vindicated and claimed that several doctors indulge in such things without bothering about the financial load, which people face because of such practice.

According to the MCI norms, a medical practitioner shall not accept any travel facility inside the country or outside, including rail, air, ship, cruise tickets, paid vacations, among others from any pharmaceutical or allied healthcare industry or their representatives for self and family members for vacation or for attending conferences, seminars, workshops and others.

Cardiologist Ajay Sinha expressed his strong reservation about the MCI’s decision.

“These days, industries allocate funds for organising medical education-related programmes in their budget. Even most of the research activities taken up by the doctors are sponsored by various industries. The government does not provide money to doctors for taking up research activities. In case any industry is sponsoring the trip of a doctor and s/he is genuinely presenting his/her research in the seminar or conference concerned, then what is wrong in it?” Sinha said.

Senior citizen P.A. Sarkar, however, supported the MCI move to interrogate the doctors. “We respect doctors because they serve the humanity. But it cannot be justified if some doctors think about making profits in ill ways. I am happy that the MCI has tightened its noose around such doctors who have forgotten their professional ethics,” he said.

Manish Mandal, additional medical superintendent of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), said: “ The MCI has no right to check the income tax return, bank statement for the last three years and passport of the doctors concerned. It can only check whether or not any company has called doctors in a group from a city to take part in a conference or it has called any particular doctor from the city,” said Mandal.

Orthopaedic surgeon H.N. Diwakar sounded more attacking: “The Medical Council of India should bring the name of its decision-making members in the public domain. This might happen that certain doctors are being targeted by the MCI members out of jealousy. So What is the credibility of the MCI members? Former MCI president Ketan Desai was removed on the charges of corruption by Delhi High Court. When such an incident came to light, is it not possible that the 300 and odd doctors have been dragged because of some vested interest?”

Shazia, (22), business development manager, Siddhartha Institute of Management, said: “If doctors are treating their occupation as business, then it is wrong. There are two sectors — education and health — which one should not compromise at all. If people in these sectors have a business mentality, it is not at all good. I must appreciate the MCI for initiating action against doctors who are treating their profession as business.”