Putting patients first: draft guidelines for compensation for research-related injury in clinical trials in India

Whilst, on one hand, health activists have struggled for greater regulation, the state has been half-hearted in implementation of its own legislations (2). Often, powerful lobbies of medical professionals have scuttled any substantial attempts to implement regulatory laws. Whilst individual cases of medical negligence continue to hit the headlines, litigation has increased and ‘accreditation’ is the new buzzword, serious regulation is still elusive. in the context of this tragedy, this issue could, once again, have become the focal point of the public debate. Alas, but not surprisingly, the mainstream media chose to ignore this and focus only on symbolic arrests and a blame game. On the other hand, political formulations traded charges with each other.