Doubting a fact that the patients are really benefitted through cut-practice in medical profession, the Maharashtra government has decided to introduce Prevention of “Cut practices in Medical Services Act, 2017”.

The Maharashtra government along with its appointed 8-member committee has brought together a draft on the Maharashtra government Cut Practices Bill. The current draft is preliminary and the revised version is set to release over the next few months.

The government has stated that the draft will be made available in the public domain before it’s presented. The law primarily aims to regulate the existing system of commissions, inducements, cuts and professional fees taken by Doctors.

The following points summarize the proposed bill:

• Any commission taken by a Doctor for referring a patient that is provided by another Doctor, diagnostic centre, surgeries or any healthcare provider is an offence
• Any healthcare provider in violation of the law will be prosecuted with 5 years imprisonment and fine for up-to INR 50,000. The fine and imprisonment for repeat offenders is yet to be finalized. Imprisonment is one suggestion, but needs to be finalized by the committee.
• A procedure recommended by the Doctor has been kept out of the Act’s preview. Investigating agencies will only examine whether a Doctor has received material benefits for referring a Doctor to another agency or organization.

The committee has decided to curb cut practice because the state government feels that there has been a rampant growth in cut practice within the state.