I have not got any response from anybody to whom I wrote those letters.
The next step would be to go in for 'Litigation in the Public interest'. This is a fit case- after making cut-practice a well defined offence at least a deterant will be put in place.
The problems are: those who are against cut-practice do not indulge in it and are unable to provide evidence. We cannot file a PIL with mere allegations. We have to provide proper data that cut-practice is real, it is widespread, it harms the patients. For this, I will exhort anyone with any evidence to preserve it. I would encourage you to lodge a formal affidavit and complaint with the Maharashtra Medical Council, so that your case can be cited as evidence. If such cases come up from many parts of our state or country, it will be proved that cut-practice is a wide spread menace that affects everyone. I would encourage any patients, who have been sent back by their doctors to collect money from diagnostic centres as 'concession'. Typically this happens when the referring doctor refuses to take a cut and tells the diagnostic centre to refund charges to patient. The cuts are delivered by receptionists or PROs, so anyone in this role can also work against cut-practice. Software engineers who have created and sold software for automatic calculation of cuts are requested to please give us information. If anyone from Income Tax department has any information, please provide it- that is also possible as evidence. There is no rule that only doctors have to fight against cut-practice. Anybody with information and evidence should document it and send it as affidavit to MMC for action as soon as possible.
This is a fight for everybody- any of us can become victims of this horrible practice. This is also a fight of everybody. Do not blame doctors for being corrupt. If you had a chance to submit some evidence and fight against cut-practice and you did not do it- you have equal culpability for it.
Secondly PIL is a costly affair- in terms of time and we doctors have decided to split the commitment of time by forming a group and dividing the work amongst ourselves. If any one wishes to join, please do. And be prepared for a thorough investigation of your antecedents, if you are not personally known to any of us. We can let only really like-minded persons join.
The next step would be to go in for 'Litigation in the Public interest'. This is a fit case- after making cut-practice a well defined offence at least a deterant will be put in place.
The problems are: those who are against cut-practice do not indulge in it and are unable to provide evidence. We cannot file a PIL with mere allegations. We have to provide proper data that cut-practice is real, it is widespread, it harms the patients. For this, I will exhort anyone with any evidence to preserve it. I would encourage you to lodge a formal affidavit and complaint with the Maharashtra Medical Council, so that your case can be cited as evidence. If such cases come up from many parts of our state or country, it will be proved that cut-practice is a wide spread menace that affects everyone. I would encourage any patients, who have been sent back by their doctors to collect money from diagnostic centres as 'concession'. Typically this happens when the referring doctor refuses to take a cut and tells the diagnostic centre to refund charges to patient. The cuts are delivered by receptionists or PROs, so anyone in this role can also work against cut-practice. Software engineers who have created and sold software for automatic calculation of cuts are requested to please give us information. If anyone from Income Tax department has any information, please provide it- that is also possible as evidence. There is no rule that only doctors have to fight against cut-practice. Anybody with information and evidence should document it and send it as affidavit to MMC for action as soon as possible.
This is a fight for everybody- any of us can become victims of this horrible practice. This is also a fight of everybody. Do not blame doctors for being corrupt. If you had a chance to submit some evidence and fight against cut-practice and you did not do it- you have equal culpability for it.
Secondly PIL is a costly affair- in terms of time and we doctors have decided to split the commitment of time by forming a group and dividing the work amongst ourselves. If any one wishes to join, please do. And be prepared for a thorough investigation of your antecedents, if you are not personally known to any of us. We can let only really like-minded persons join.
I am now in contact with some like-minded doctors on a regular basis. They are: Dr Shyam Ashtekar, Dr Mangesh Thorat, Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar.
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