I respect every journalist’s freedom of expression, hence I have no ill-feelings for Juan L. Mercado regarding his column “When some doctors ‘cha-cha’” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9/23/08)

I was disheartened, however, to learn that the “bad words” on the New Code of Ethics of the Medical Profession came from a former Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president.

May I recount how PMA came up with the new code:

In 2006 Dr. Mike Noche, chair of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) of the Board of Medicine, fed up with the derogatory reports about the profession and unethical practices of some physicians, sought the support of then-PMA president Dr. Jose Sabili for a review of the PMA Code of Ethics.

The task of revisiting and amending the code subsequently fell on the PMA Commission on Ethics of which I was the chair. It took time to start the process because the project affected numerous stakeholders. We were able to finally hold a workshop on Aug. 23 and 24. During the workshop, every ethical provision of the code was meticulously scrutinized and debated on until a consensus could be reached as a prelude to an amendment.

With the participation of the PMA, PRC, resource persons from local and multinational drug manufacturers, the academe, former chairs of the Commission on Ethics, media, specialty societies and journalists, the workshop came up with a simplified updated code. The code’s final draft was endorsed to the officers and board of governors led by Sabili and legal counsel Danny Castro. After more minor amendments, it was approved. The fine-tuning of the code nevertheless continued, using as references the International Code of Ethics, the Ethical Declarations of the World Medical Association and the Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association.

The new code was finally endorsed to the delegates (who represented the general membership from the 14 regions of the country) in a general assembly, which approved the code “en toto.”
On Sept. 15, 2008, a summit meeting of representatives from various groups of stakeholders was convened. The gathering came up with the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the new code.

The new code, among others, bans physicians from making commercial endorsements of health products; dictates that any advice on drug medications must come from the attending practitioners; cautions medical writers not to advertise themselves through media; requires that donations must be made to institutions and/or medical societies only and that gifts be limited to small items useful in the care of patients and in the doctors’ practice.

Violations of the code are punishable as the law (The Medical Act of 1959 as amended) provides. Notarized complaints of malpractice or unethical behavior will be entertained by the PMA Commission of Ethics.

SANTIAGO A. DEL ROSARIO, M.D., chair, Commission on Ethics, Philippine Medical Association