Doctor body to establish ethics-based blacklisting

The Chinese Medical Doctor Association confirmed to the Global Times on Sunday that it is planning to establish a blacklist for medical practitioners based on assessment of their medical ethics.

"Of 2 million licensed medical practitioners in the country, any misconduct on medical ethics will be recorded based on a biennial evaluation," Deng Liqiang, director of the legal affairs department of the association, told the Global Times.

Those who are found to have violated the code of conduct on medical ethics will not be recommended to be hired by medical institutions, said Deng, adding that such records will be life-long.

The new code of conduct, effective since June 2012, forbids doctors from receiving bribes, getting kickbacks by overprescribing costly medication, refusing to treat dying patients and disputing with patients.

Hao Deming, director of the association's office in charge of the assessment, told the Global Times the results of the first assessment will be made public by the National Health and Family Planning Commission at the end of this year.

The move came after bribery allegations against drugmakers plus child trafficking cases allegedly involving an obstetrician at a hospital in Shaanxi Province.

The association has publicly rebuked the two cases.

The national commission spokesperson Deng Haihua said Friday that the commission is mulling over blacklisting pharmaceutical companies and individuals involved in bribery.

However, the proposal for such a system has not been handed over to the commission for approval as opinion is still divided.

An unnamed doctor at the Guangzhou-based First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University said the policy is necessary, but there is a fear that it would infringe on privacy of doctors.

Some experts also doubt whether the association has the legal rights to expose the ethical misconduct of doctors to the public.

"Making the blacklist public is too severe," said Hao, adding that the assessment itself has already been an alert.