Kolkata: The Centre on Sunday said it would soon
frame a law to prevent government doctors from receiving gifts
and cash from pharmaceutical companies.
"Doctors take favours from pharma companies either in the
form of cash or in kind and in return give unnecessary favour
to them...they prescribe costly medicines of that company...To
stop this, Centre has decided to formulate a law and implement
it soon," Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Gulam Nabi
Azad said at a Nationalistic Doctor's Forum programme.
Azad said the Centre would set up an AIIMS-like institute
in West Bengal soon and the state government had already
agreed to allot 100-acre land for the purpose.
The Union government has sanctioned Rs 890 crore for the
960-bed hospital with super-speciality facility, he said.
A Central fund of Rs 140 crore has also been sanctioned
for upgrading Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
He said the Centre has also decided to go in for a
private-public partnership to accelerate and improve the
health care system of the country.
At least one medical college will be set up per 50 lakh
population in Northeastern states, hilly regions and tribal
areas. The number of seats in medical colleges will also be
increased, the minister said.
"Centre has decided to give special facility to doctors
in post graduate diploma or National Post Graduate exam if
they serve in rural areas for at least three years," Azad
said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 20:28