The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on Wednesday upheld the order of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to have the name of Naval Bhatia, senior orthopaedic surgeon with Safdarjung Hospital Sports Injury Centre, removed from the Council’s list for a year starting Wednesday and also barring him from practising.
Sponsored trip
The doctor is accused of taking a trip to Hong Kong sponsored by a private company, which specialises in making orthopaedic implants, to attend a workshop.
DMC Registrar Girish Tyagi said: “The incident happened in 2014 when Dr. Bhatia went on a trip to Hong Kong. A pharma company paid for his travel and stay. We received a complaint against him and his name was removed from the Council’s list for a period of three months.”
“Both Dr. Bhatia and one of the complainants appealed to the MCI. While Dr. Bhatia said his punishment was too harsh, the complainant maintained the DMC was too lenient. The MCI ordered that Dr. Bhatia not be allowed to practice for one year and that has been brought into action,” Dr. Tyagi added.