Govt to curb ‘cut practice’ in medical profession

Maharashtra Government is all set to curb ‘Cut Practice’ in medical profession. Soon, Government will introduce ‘Prevention of Cut Practices in Medical Services Act 2017.’

S Srinivasan of All India Drugs Network (AIDAN) through e-pharmail has mentioned that State Government has formed a nine member committee to study regulations in other countries for preventing cut practices including anti kickback laws in USA and UK and suggest measures to be incorporated in the proposed Act.

The committee will be headed by former Director General of Police, Pravin Dixit. The committee consists of Dr Avinash Supe, Director of Medical Education and major BMC hospitals; Dr Sanjay Oak, Director of Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Byculla; Dr Abhay Chowdhary, President of Maharashtra Medical Council; Dr Ramakant Panda, Vice Chairman of Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai; Indian Medical Association (IMA) representative, Dr Yeshwant Amdekar, pediatrician; Dr Amit Karkhanis, dermatologist; and Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar, Mahad.

Srinivasan mentioned that during the first meeting of the committee held on Tuesday, the panel of members discussed different provisions of proposed act in details. Section I of the act contains definition of the Act which reads any person believed to be medical experts having received a patient for treatment, refers him to other medical experts, hospitals, laboratory for further treatment/examination/ tests and in turn receives any pecuniary benefits from such medical experts/hospitals/laboratory, would be committing an act of indulging in ‘Cut practices in Medical Services’.

Section II says, “Cut practice in medical services is an offence and would be charged under cognisable offence tried by JMFC, 1st Class. Any person who indulges in such acts repeatedly, would be treated as repeat offender.”
Section III deals with punishment for the offence. It reads punishment for the offence of “Cut practice in medical services” would be simple punishment up to three months and fine up to Rs 5,000. Repeated offender would be punishable by simple imprisonment up to six months and fine of Rs 25,000.

This committee was formed by the State Government following Dr Ramakant Panda’s representation to Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Government of Maharashtra over rampant growth of cut practice in medical field. It is to be recalled that Dr Panda’s Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai had put up a poster stating ‘No commission. Only honest medical opinion’ in the city which invoked sharp response from IMA. The hospital has also installed 10 banners in the city in response to IMA’s warning to remove the first one.

Reacting to IMA remark, Dr Panda stated “instead of protecting wrongdoers, IMA should sensitise its members on the need to do away with cut practice. It’s not that all of its members are engaged in such practice. There are a number of doctors who were never involved in it.”  Dr Panda said “We have found that at least one third of the patients who were asked to go for angioplasty or bypass surgery did not need it. The expense of treatment will decrease by 25% if cut practice is curbed.”

Considering the rampant growth of cut practice, Asian Heart Institute has initiated debate on the issue. A number of medical professionals including Dr Gautam Sen, Dr Vikrant Desai, Dr Sanjay Nagral, Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar, Dr Devi Shetty, Dr G N Rao, Dr Soma Raju, Dr Srinath Reddy, Dr Samiran Nundy etc had extended their support to the hospital crusade against cut practice in medical services.