Click to play videoNew Delhi: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is making news yet again, this time for a different reason.
Now, he has been criticising the Indian Medical Association for entering into a commercial deal with the food and beverages company PepsiCo.
Ramadoss reprimanded the IMA for endorsing Pepsico's Tropicana fruit juices and Quaker Oats cereal. The minister says the IMA should concentrate instead on campaigns against TB, malaria and the irrational use of drugs.
The IMA had entered into a three year-endorsement contract with PepsiCo, reportedly for Rs 50 lakhs. The IMA says it has endorsed commercial brands earlier as well, including those for Dettol and Eureka Forbes. Reports say the IMA is to strike similar deals with Unilever to endorse a sanitary napkin brand, and with Dabur as well.
Meanwhile, Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment roundly condemned the deal struck between the IMA and PepsiCo, calling it unethical and illegal.
“Companies instead of agreeing to mandatory standards are finding an easy route, by either paying a film-star to stand up and endorse their products and now doctors; but they don't want mandatory standards,” she said.
Narain pointed out, “It's part of the ethics of doctors all over the world not to endorse one particular product. I've not seen a statement from the IMA which says that people should not drink carbonated drinks because they're bad for health.
“That's the kind of leadership we expect from doctors – not for them to become the Indian Marketing Association.
The PSA actually says an endorsement from a medical professional is illegal. So it's very clear if the IMA does this, the Government should take action,” Narain said.
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