New draft of National Medical Commission, Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2022: critical analysis

The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 was published in Part III, Section 4 of the Gazette of India, dated 6th April 2002, to regulate the Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP), which was known as the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002. The said regulation has defined and described different regulations in eight chapters for the RMP. It has become one of the most trusted and followed documents for medical practitioners around the country to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with the law enforcement authority, administration and other National and International regulatory bodies while dealing with patients, clinical research and human experimentation, etc. As a reformatory measure to amend this regulation, the National Medical Commission (NMC), on 23rd June 2022, put in the public domain draft of the National Medical Commission, Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2022 for public/stakeholders' comments within one month, i.e., till 22nd June 2022. There have been many resentments about the contents of this draft among various Medical Associations of India in particular and medical professionals. This editorial aims to highlight a few of the lackings and dues.