NMC Issues Guidelines for Live Surgery Broadcasts to Ensure Ethics and Patient Welfare

### Quick Summary
– The National Medical commission (NMC) has issued detailed guidelines regulating live broadcasts of surgeries to ensure ethical conduct and patient safety.
– Live broadcasts should not be used for promoting surgeons, hospitals, or product brands, nor involve commercial interests.
– Recorded videos, cadaveric labs, wet labs, and simulation-based surgeries are endorsed as safer alternatives.
– High-risk patients or those with incomplete investigations are excluded from live surgery broadcasts; financial incentives for patient participation are disallowed.
– Informed consent must be thorough and can be withdrawn anytime by the patient; insurance options should safeguard against unforeseen incidents during live procedures.
– Surgeons must focus on patient safety during the broadcast without real-time interaction with viewers but may provide commentary under special circumstances.
– Live demonstrations should strictly serve educational purposes without glorification while complications must be addressed through stringent regulations and free post-operative care.
– Procedure recordings for educational use in closed groups require preservation for at least two years unless litigation arises.

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### Indian Opinion Analysis
The NMC’s guidelines reflect a thoughtful balance between advancing medical education through technology while emphasizing ethical considerations and patient welfare. By prioritizing recordings and simulations over live surgery where feasible, the directives mitigate risks tied directly to real-time procedural errors or distractions caused by audience engagement.

The exclusion of financial incentives marks an essential step toward maintaining trust in healthcare practices while mandating sufficient insurance coverage serves as a safeguard against unforeseen situations during procedures-a pragmatic provision given India’s complex healthcare landscape.

these policies have meaningful implications both medically and ethically: they encourage professional standards among surgeons while ensuring clarity about risks involved in experimental procedures demonstrated via live streams. These measures establish safeguards that align with global best practices as India continues to expand its reputation in specialized medical training.

For further details: [Read more](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/should-surgeries-be-broadcast-live-nmc-sets-up-committee-to-provide-recommendation/article67789146.ece)

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Representative image. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto