While companies may not
explicitly ask health workers to promote their products, the sense
of goodwill generated by gifts and tokens provided by the companies
can often persuade health workers to subconsciously favour one company's
products over those of another. Many of the gifts offered to health
workers are displayed on desks, etc and thus become direct promotion
to mothers visiting the hospital or clinic.
Financial and other forms
of material support are often given to individuals and professional
associations. Although sponsorship is allowed under the Code, the
line between genuine assistance and inducement is not easily discernible
and conflicts of interest do occur. A 1996 WHA Resolution warns
about such conflicts, which may interfere with professional support
for breastfeeding.
According to the findings
of the 2000 monitoring, financial support now goes more frequently
to meetings and professional associations rather than to individuals.
Wyeth provided fellowships and awards to nurses for attending a
congress in Mexico, it sponsored a perinatal society meeting in
the UAE and funded lunch boxes for a meeting in Taiwan. Abbott-Ross
provided file covers for a symposium. Gerber sponsored educational
sessions while Mead Johnson supported the message centre and district
breakfast meetings at the 2000 annual conference of the American
Academy of Pediatrics. Mead Johnson also provided two awards of
US$ 10,000 each for research in paediatrics plus expenses to the
conference. Heinz Plasmon sponsored meetings, conferences and training
sessions in Italy. Nestlé sponsored several seminars in Cambodia.
Doctors
in private clinics get lots of samples; they get passed on to mothers.
Sometimes
there's an invoice but no payment required.
| Company reps
are in and out of doctors' offices several times a week. During
their short visits they share scientific findings but as a
punch line, they always recommend a particular brand and leave
booklets, gifts or product samples which get passed on to
mothers. Mead Johnson, Nutricia, Hipp, Milupa, Abbott-Ross,
Wyeth, Danone, Morinaga, Meiji and Dumex are all guilty of
this practice. |
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