10 months on, NMC yet to act against 30 doctors for ‘sponsored’ foreign trips: Report
New Delhi: Nearly ten months after the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) recommended disciplinary action against 30 doctors who accepted free foreign trips to Monaco and Paris worth Rs 1.91 crore last year, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reportedly taken no action.
The doctors allegedly received lavish trips under the pretext of attending medical conferences. A government-appointed committee found that these trips, funded by AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd., were in violation of the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), as reported by The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
Despite this, the names of the doctors remain undisclosed, and the NMC's Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) has not initiated any disciplinary proceedings.
As per rules, the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), which regulates professional conduct and promotes medical ethics, needs to dispose off the complaint within six months. According to the norms, a doctor’s license can be suspended if they are found guilty of violating the code of ethics.
However, RTI activist and Kerala-based ophthalmologist Dr KV Babu said that the EMRB has yet to act on the matter. “The MCI ethics regulations 8.7(ii) stipulates that once the EMRB receives the complaint, it should be decided within a period of six months. However, in the case of the thirty doctors, where there is an allegation of professional misconduct, EMRB is still sitting over it. This is despite the apex committee for pharma marketing practices recommending NMC to take action against the thirty doctors last year on December 23 for violation of ethics regulations,” TNIE quoted Babu as saying.
In its order, the committee also directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to evaluate the tax liability of AbbVie Healthcare India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of AbbVie Inc.,and take action in accordance with the Income Tax Act, 1961.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
