The Indian Medical Association has taken a strong exception to the statement purportedly made by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, that big pharmaceutical companies bribe doctors with women, foreign trips and expensive gadgets.
In a meeting with the top pharmaceutical companies in New Delhi on January 2 the PM is supposed to have made the statement which the PMO has not yet denied. This meeting was organised after an NGO report suggested that medical representatives of pharma companies use immoral means to win favours from the doctors and this include offering women, state of the art appliances and even foreign trips.
Taking strong exception to the alleged statement by the Prime Minister the IMA has asked the PMO to clarify if such a meeting took place or if such a statement was made by the prime minister. Noting that the PMO has not denied the report, the IMA has issued a statement demanding to know if the government had details of the companies involved in supplying women to the doctors.
IMA’s national president Dr. Rajan Sharma was quoted by the media saying “ The content and language of this nature coming from the PMO is shocking… This does not behove the PMO.”
— Ishita Purkaystha