Gujarat HC Stays Suspension of 3 Dermatologists Over Pharma-Sponsored Foreign Trip

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday stayed the Gujarat Medical Council’s (GMC) order suspending three dermatologists for 13 months over allegations of accepting a pharmaceutical company-sponsored foreign trip.

The GMC had on June 30 suspended Dr Jagdishkumar Sakhiya, Dr Ami Shah of Surat and Dr Geeta Patel of Ahmedabad. Dr Sakhiya is the president of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL). The three were among 30 doctors from across India accused of attending a company-sponsored trip to Monaco and Paris in 2024, allegedly in violation of the council’s code of conduct.

The action followed an anonymous complaint filed before the National Medical Commission (NMC), which directed the GMC to investigate the allegations against the Gujarat-based doctors.

Challenging the suspension before the High Court, the three doctors argued that they had travelled abroad to attend training programmes on anti-ageing treatment organised by a multinational company. They also claimed the complaint was motivated by corporate rivalry.

The petitioners further submitted that while the company that organised the event was only reprimanded, the doctors were subjected to a disproportionately harsh penalty. They urged the court to grant interim relief.

After a preliminary hearing, Justice Nirzar Desai issued notice to the GMC seeking its response by September 8. The court also granted ad-interim relief, staying the suspension order until further directions. DeshGujarat