PRACTICES

AMONG
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

IN
PRIVATE SECTOR

MEDICAL ETHICS
Ethics is a science of moral values or principles. Medical ethics is thus
described as moral principles (code of conduct), which should guide the
members of medical profession in their dealings with the patients, their
relatives, community, and with other colleagues in profession.
The principle objective of the medical profession is to render service to
humanity with full respect for dignity of human beings.
Every doctor, whatever is his/her specialty, has to discharge medico
legal responsibilities and to solve medico legal problems from the very
first day of his/her medical practice.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF
A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
a doctor victimizes himself/herself to the litigious tactics of the public,
irrespective of whether they are actual causative factors or not.
ignorance about medical law and ethics by the young medicos
members of the general public are becoming increasingly aware of
their rights due from a doctor, questioning the legality of issues.
every member of medical profession should clearly knows what exactly
are their compulsory duties and proper behavior towards their patients.

LEGAL BINDINGS BETWEEN PATIENT &

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
The relationship takes the shape of a contract retaining the essential
elements of tort.
The doctor has a duty to obtain prior informed consent from the
patient before carrying out diagnostic tests and therapeutic
management.
The services of the doctors are covered under the provisions of the
Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and a patient can seek redressal of
grievances from the Consumer Courts.

THE CORE PROBLEM:

IN CONTEXT TO BANGLADESH
constant fight with colleagues for work in a market.
little controls and the regulators (Medical Council of Bangladesh and State Medical
Councils) have largely proved to be ineffective.
In a well-functioning market, patients (the consumers) will know clearly their doctors
professional skills, qualifications, results, feedback from others, fees etc. They will be able
to compare doctors and choose wisely.
Patients do not have any other information about their doctors other than how much their
doctor is charging.
General Practitioners (GPs) are hence constantly driving each other down on pricing to
attract patients.

RECOMMENDATION
Medical Council of Bangladesh and State Medical Councils should raise awareness about the cut
practice and commissions and clearly explain to their members that it is both unethical and illegal to
give and take commissions. Money should not play any consideration in whom they refer their
patients to or who they advise their patients to go to.
Doctors should start charging their patients more if they cant survive on their income rather than
supplementing it through unfair means. Government and medical councils should educate the public
that it costs to study medicine and become a doctor and that it costs to live. This service cant be
provided for free. For free or subsidized healthcare, we should reinforce our state medical sector.
Results of doctors and feedback from other patients etc. should be validated and made available to
patients. In this context, we need mechanisms to ensure doctors engage in continuing medical
education (CME) and have systems of auditing their practice.
Tax authorities should ask doctors/labs/hospitals to provide their patients with proper receipts. They
should close in on the black money being generated by hospitals and labs, which is then dished out
to general practitioners through marketing channels