NMC proposes doctors can deny treatment in case of abusive patients or relatives

The draft regulations released by the National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed that doctors can deny treatment if patients and their relatives' behaviour is abusive and violent.

National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently released draft regulations for registered medical practitioners (RMP). It proposed that the doctors can refuse treatment in case of abusive and violent patients or relatives.

"The RMP who attends to the patient will be fully accountable for his actions and entitled to the appropriate fees. In case of abusive, unruly, and violent patients or relatives, the RMP can document and report the behaviour and refuse to treat the patient. Such patients should be referred for further treatment elsewhere," reads the draft regulations.

Few other proposed regulations

Other regulations proposed by NMC are:

• Every communication between RMP and patients shall be kept confidential. Such communication, whether personal, or related to health and treatment, shall not be revealed unless required by the laws of the state, or if nondisclosure may itself be detrimental to the health of the patient or another human being.
• The RMP should neither exaggerate nor minimize the gravity of a patient’s condition. He/ She shall ensure that the patient or legally appointed representative has such knowledge of the patient’s condition that can assist in making decisions that will best serve the interests of the patient.
• A RMP shall not claim to be a clinical specialist unless he/she has NMC recognized training and qualification in that specific branch of modern medicine (The list of recognized post-graduation and super-specialization degrees/diplomas will be available on the NMC website).

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