A government inquiry has identified 30 doctors who were guilty of accepting a luxury trip to Paris and Monaco worth a little over Rs 1.9 crore from AbbVie Pharma. However, the National Medical Commission (NMC) received only 27 names when the pharmaceuticals department sent the list nine months after its apex committee ordered it to do so in December 2024.
The department did not respond to queries from the Times of India regarding how or why the names of three doctors disappeared from the list. When asked about the steps taken against the 30 doctors, NMC chairperson Dr. Abhijat Sheth stated that the commission received 27 names in September 2025. These names were forwarded to the nine state medical councils where the doctors were registered for inquiry and appropriate action.
Under the NMC Act, the state medical council concerned has the jurisdiction to inquire into complaints relating to ethical or professional misconduct against doctors, Dr. Sheth added. However, he did not specify which nine states were involved. Both the pharmaceuticals department and the NMC have refused to reveal the names of the doctors involved.
Through an RTI application to the Prime Minister's Office, it was revealed that the list was sent to the Kerala State Medical Council. The council clarified that only one doctor on the list, which it received on December 16, 2025, was from the state. The KSMC registrar said an explanation had been sought from the doctor and the matter was in process, five months after the name was received.
According to the NMC Act, if a complaint has not been decided by a state medical council within six months, the commission has the option of referring it to its own ethics committee. When asked if the NMC would take over the matter if state councils did not act, Dr. Sheth said it would act firmly as appropriate.
