India’s National Medical Commission Bars Participation in Vaping and Heated Tobacco Research Without

The National Medical Commission of India has recently implemented a significant measure, requiring all medical professionals associated with the NMC to refrain from participating in any research activities related to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products without the necessary permission from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to the latest news, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently enacted a significant measure, mandating that all medical professionals associated with the NMC must not engage in any research activities related to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) without obtaining the necessary permission from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

"Previously, the Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage, and Advertising) Prohibition Bill (PECA, 2019) explicitly prohibited the use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and similar devices in India. Therefore, all medical professionals associated with the NMC must comply with this prohibition, and without the necessary permission from the Director General of Health Services (Dte.GHS) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), they cannot participate in any research activities regarding e-cigarettes and HTPs," the commission's notice stated.

This decision was made after Atul Goel, the Director of Health Services, wrote to NMC Chairman BN Gangadhar requesting action on the issue of medical professionals participating in research on e-cigarettes and HTPs.

"I believe that the NMC and IMA can play a key role in communicating this directive to members, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the prohibition on e-cigarettes and HTPs, and conducting research responsibly within the medical community," he added.

Previously, the World Health Organization also urged governments to treat e-cigarettes on par with tobacco products and to ban all flavors.