PMC Asks Doctors, Hospitals To Display Rates For Treatment Or Face Penalty

Ludhiana, April 30, 2015: Punjab Medical Council has asked all the doctors, institutions and hospitals to display the rate list for various treatments in accordance with the Indian Medical (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations 2002.

In a Public Notice issued by the PMC President Dr GS Grewal And Registrar Dr Manjit Kaur Mohi recently, all registered medical practitioners, institutions and organizations have been advised to implement the statutory regulations in letter and spirit.  

They said, any violation thereof shall constitute professional misconduct liable for disciplinary action as deemed in law including but not limited to the removal of the name of the registered medical practitioner from the Medical Register, altogether or for a specified period.

Giving details about the guidelines, they said, a physician should announce his fees before rendering service and not after the operation or treatment is under way. A physician shall clearly display the fees and other charges on the board of his chamber and the hospital and/or Provide a computerized receipt of every payment made.

They said, all charges including consultation fees, medical devices rates like stent, orthopedic implants and other implanted devices, operative fees, laboratory investigation rates, radiology investigation rates, ward expenditure for indoor patients as well as any other performed medical or surgical procedure should be displayed in transparent and explicit manner of the benefit of the patients and general public and/or a computerized receipt given for every payment.

The guidelines also clarify that a physician shall not give, solicit or receive nor shall offer to give solicit or receive any fit, gratuity, commission or bonus in consideration of or return for the referring , recommending or procuring of any patient for medical, surgical or other treatment.

The patients must get the computerized receipt from the hospital in accordance with the rates displayed in the hospital or by the doctor. He said, in case they do not get the receipt for the entire amount that means someone else is pocketing commission and they are made to pay for it.