Medical Representatives Banned from Meeting Doctors in Govt Hospitals: A Step Toward Ethical Healthcare

In a major move to promote ethical medical practices, the Government of India has banned medical representatives from meeting doctors inside central government hospitals. This order, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on May 28, aims to protect doctors’ time and eliminate pharma influence in patient care.

🚫 Why the Ban?

Many doctors in government hospitals spend a significant portion of their time meeting medical reps promoting drugs and products. This often leads to delays in patient care, especially in hospitals that cater to poor and rural patients.

“We want doctors to spend more time with patients, not with salespeople,” said a government official.

To avoid these disruptions and prevent unethical practices like offering gifts and free samples, the government has now completely banned in-person visits from pharmaceutical reps.

📧 Digital Only: No Face-to-Face Promotions

According to the DGHS order:

Reps can no longer enter the hospital premises to meet doctors.
Any information about new drug launches or treatment updates must be shared via email or digital communication.
Hospital heads must ensure strict compliance and submit an action-taken report to the authorities.

🧠 What’s Behind This Decision?

This move follows the introduction of the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) in 2023, which:

Outlined what pharma companies can and cannot do when promoting their products
Set clear rules on educational events, samples, and marketing practices
Provided a system to report and review complaints

The goal is to break the doctor-pharma nexus and ensure that all decisions about medications are evidence-based and not influenced by commercial incentives.

💡 What This Means for Doctorpreneurs

At The Doctorpreneur Academy, we believe this policy change is a positive step toward transparent, patient-focused healthcare. It reminds us that doctors must always put patients first—and that building a trustworthy personal brand depends on ethical clinical practice.

This is also a chance for healthcare innovators and entrepreneurs to rethink how drug education, medical updates, and digital communication can be streamlined to support doctors without disruption.

✅ Time to Lead with Ethics and Efficiency

If you’re a healthcare professional, this is your opportunity to embrace: