New Delhi: Indian Medical Association (IMA) chief Dr R V Ashokan on Thursday publicly apologised for a statement he made during an interview regarding the remarks made by the Supreme Court in a case. He said he regrets his statement and never had any intention to lower the dignity of the court.
Why did the IMA chief have to apologize?
The IMA was a party to the case in which the Supreme Court made the comment during the hearing. A statement issued by the doctors’ organization said, ‘IMA National President Dr. R. V. Ashokan has publicly apologized for his statement to the press regarding the comment made by the Supreme Court in the case related to IMA being a party.’
,passed needs to put its house in order’
Dr Ashokan said in a statement, referring to the April 23 order that the IMA is equally concerned about the issues of malpractice. While hearing the case related to misleading advertisements involving Patanjali Ayurveda Limited, the apex court had said that it believes that the IMA also needs to set its house in order.
What did the IMA chief say about the apology?
In the affidavit filed in the apex court, Dr Ashokan had also tendered an unconditional apology for his statement against the apex court. Dr Ashokan said, ‘IMA has filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court against the misleading advertisements and malicious campaigns being run by some individuals and entities against modern medical professionals. In respect of certain statements made by me during an interview with PTI News, I have expressed regret before the Supreme Court. I have also submitted my affidavit to the court to tender an unconditional apology.’
What did Dr. Ashokan say in the apology?
In his apology, he said, “I never had any intention to belittle the importance or dignity of the apex court.” The Supreme Court had said, “There are several complaints regarding alleged unethical acts against the members of the association which break the trust reposed in them by the patients. They are not only prescribing extremely expensive medicines but also recommending avoidable/unnecessary investigations.”
Dr Ashokan said that continuous updating and dissemination of ethical practices is one of the main activities of IMA. Recently, IMA engaged patient groups in a dialogue to address the concerns of patients and a joint declaration was issued in Bengaluru, the statement said.