Medical law: advertising by doctors: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Medical law: advertising by doctors

Sample item

A doctor distributes pamphlets and posts newspaper advertisements claiming a hundred percent cure, with testimonials from patients. How is this regarded?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. As professional misconduct, since soliciting patients by advertisement is prohibited by the ethics regulations

Ethics regulations prohibit a doctor from soliciting patients through advertisements, claims of cure or testimonials. Only simple information such as name, qualifications, address and timings may be displayed. The State Medical Council may take disciplinary action for breach.

Option by option

  • A. As permitted conduct for any registered practitioner

    Registration does not give a licence to advertise.

  • B. As permitted if no fee is mentioned

    Omitting the fee does not make solicitation or false claims permissible.

  • C. As a matter for the consumer court alone and not misconduct

    Misconduct is dealt with by the Medical Council independently of any consumer action.

  • D. As professional misconduct, since soliciting patients by advertisement is prohibited by the ethics regulations (correct)

    Correct. Advertising and claims of cure amount to professional misconduct.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is D, As professional misconduct, since soliciting patients by advertisement is prohibited by the ethics regulations. Ethics regulations prohibit a doctor from soliciting patients through advertisements, claims of cure or testimonials.

Why is "As permitted conduct for any registered practitioner" not the answer?

Registration does not give a licence to advertise.

Why is "As permitted if no fee is mentioned" not the answer?

Omitting the fee does not make solicitation or false claims permissible.

Why is "As a matter for the consumer court alone and not misconduct" not the answer?

Misconduct is dealt with by the Medical Council independently of any consumer action.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical law: advertising by doctors in Forensic Medicine. Only simple information such as name, qualifications, address and timings may be displayed. The State Medical Council may take disciplinary action for breach.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical law: advertising by doctors?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.