NMC emphasises transparent pricing in private healthcare

Overcharging is an unethical practice and doctors must avoid exploitation of patients during emergencies and otherwise, it said.

Hyderabad: The National Medical Commission (NMC) in its ‘Professional Conduct Review’, which was released on Friday, said private healthcare establishments must ensure all professional charges and hospital charges are clearly displayed and made known to patients before starting the treatment. Overcharging is an unethical practice and doctors must avoid exploitation of patients during emergencies and otherwise, it said.

The NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) which prepared the Professional Conduct Review, a conduct of conduct for medical professionals, said that physicians should not claim to be specialists unless they have a special qualification in that branch, according to clause 7.20 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.

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It highlighted the need to get a proper consent from the patient or their family members before conducting any kind of procedures. “Valid real informed consent has to be taken from patients or their family members in all cases. The patients must sign the consent in all elective cases unless the patient is minor, unconscious, or incompetent,” the NMC said.

Doctors must maintain a continuous communication channel with patients or their relatives during emergencies. “Proper documentation is an integral part of avoiding litigations. Besides documentation, understanding the state of the family in catastrophic events and dealing with them with compassion and empathy will always make an RMP a “Good Doctor” the NMC said.