Legal Terms & Clinical Governance Hub

1. Terms of Service & Teleconsultation Agreement

Welcome to Dr Sumaiya NutriCare Clinic (https://drsumaiya.com), operated by Dr. Sumaiya Petiwala (Doctor and Registered Dietitian, Bengaluru, India). By accessing this website, registering for services, submitting clinical health inquiry forms, or purchasing dietary consultation programs, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, all applicable Indian laws and healthcare regulations, and acknowledge your responsibility for compliance with local legal requirements.

1.1 License & Proprietary Clinical Material

All clinical nutrition protocols, metabolic assessment frameworks, personalized diet charts, educational guides, meal plans, calculators, text, graphics, and proprietary methodologies published on this website or provided during private consultations are the exclusive intellectual property of Dr Sumaiya NutriCare Clinic and protected under Indian Copyright and Trademark laws.

• You are granted a limited, personal, non-transferable, revocable license to access and utilize your personalized consultation materials for your own personal health management.
• You may not copy, modify, distribute, publish, commercially exploit, resell, reverse engineer, or publicly display any diet charts, clinical handouts, or site assets without express written authorization from Dr. Sumaiya Petiwala.

1.2 Teleconsultation Engagement Terms

In accordance with the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines (2020) issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India:

• Online consultations are intended for clinical nutritional assessment, metabolic health optimization, dietary counseling, and lifestyle disease management.
• By initiating an online consultation, you provide explicit, informed consent to receive remote healthcare guidance via digital communication channels (including video conferencing, phone, encrypted email, and authorized messaging).
• The patient must provide truthful, complete, and updated medical records, baseline blood test reports (e.g., HbA1c, fasting lipids, thyroid profiles, ultrasound scans), and disclosure of all active prescription drugs before the protocol is formulated.

1.3 Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service and any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or related to our clinical services or website shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. The courts of competent jurisdiction located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all matters.

2. Privacy Policy & Health Data Protection (DPDP Act 2023)

Your privacy and the absolute confidentiality of your clinical health records are fundamental to our medical practice. This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, storage, and protection of your personal and sensitive health data in compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act, 2023) and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (SPDI Rules).

2.1 Categories of Information We Collect

2.2 Lawful Basis & Explicit Consent

We process your personal and health information solely on the basis of your explicit, affirmative consent obtained during registration, consultation booking, or intake form submission. You retain the right to withdraw consent at any time by contacting our Data Protection & Grievance Officer, subject to mandatory statutory clinical retention obligations.

2.3 Health Record Retention Protocol

In accordance with the statutory regulations prescribed by the National Medical Commission (NMC), patient clinical assessment records, consultation summaries, and diet prescription history are retained securely for a minimum statutory period of three (3) years from the date of the last consultation, after which data may be securely archived or anonymized in accordance with applicable medical record disposal guidelines.

2.4 Non-Disclosure & Third-Party Processing

We maintain strict physician-patient confidentiality. We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal or health data to advertisers, pharmaceutical brokers, or data aggregators. Data is shared strictly with authorized infrastructure processors (such as encrypted cloud hosting, verified payment aggregators, and transactional notification gateways) under robust data processing agreements.

2.5 Your Statutory Rights

Under the DPDP Act 2023, you are entitled to:

• Right to Access: Request a summary of personal and clinical data collected and processed.
• Right to Correction & Erasure: Request the correction of inaccurate personal data or erasure of non-statutory records.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: Submit grievances directly to our designated Grievance Officer.
• Right to Nominate: Nominate an individual to exercise data rights in the event of incapacity or death.

3. Medical, Clinical & Emergency Disclaimer

3.1 Clinical Nutrition & Lifestyle Management Scope

Dr. Sumaiya Petiwala provides evidence-based medical nutrition therapy and lifestyle intervention protocols designed to support metabolic health, optimize body composition, and manage chronic conditions (including Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Pre-diabetes, PCOS, Fatty Liver Disease, Dyslipidemia, and Hypertension).

• Complementary Care: Nutritional therapy is designed to work synergistically alongside your primary medical care and does not replace primary physician or specialist consultations.
• Medication Management: Patients must never stop, reduce, or alter prescription medications (e.g., insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, antihypertensives, thyroid hormones) without the direct supervision and formal approval of their prescribing physician.
• Individual Outcome Variability: Metabolic responses and clinical outcomes vary based on baseline pathophysiology, biochemical markers, age, hormonal health, genetics, sleep, stress, and strictly maintained dietary compliance. No ethical medical practice can or will promise unconditional, guaranteed weight loss or instantaneous disease reversal.

3.2 Website & Educational Content Disclaimer

All articles, health blogs, BMI reference tables, calculators, dietary guidelines, and downloadable handouts published on https://drsumaiya.com are provided strictly for educational and public informational purposes. They do not constitute personalized medical diagnosis, clinical prescription, or a formalized doctor-patient relationship until an individualized clinical consultation has taken place.

4. Consultation Booking, Rescheduling & Refund Policy

4.1 Appointment Booking & Slot Confirmation

Consultations (both online teleconsultations and in-person clinic visits at our Bengaluru center) are confirmed upon full receipt of the applicable consultation fee and completion of the mandatory initial patient intake form.

4.2 Rescheduling Guidelines

• Advance Notice: Patients may request to reschedule a confirmed consultation slot up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time without penalty.
• Emergency Rescheduling: Rescheduling requests within 24 hours of the appointment will be accommodated at the clinic’s clinical discretion based on slot availability.
• No-Shows: Failure to attend a confirmed appointment without prior notice forfeits the designated consultation slot.

4.3 Program Validity & Expiry

To ensure consistent metabolic correction and clinical continuity, all multi-week or multi-month consultation packages have fixed validity periods:

• 1-Month Metabolic Program: Valid for 30 calendar days from the date of enrollment.
• 3-Month Intensive Program: Valid for 90 calendar days from the date of enrollment.
• Program consultations and follow-up reviews cannot be placed on indefinite pause or transferred to third parties.

4.4 Refund Policy for Clinical Consultations

• Non-Refundable Services: Once a clinical consultation has been conducted, clinical assessment time expended, or a customized therapeutic diet plan issued, consultation fees are non-refundable and non-extendable.
• Clinic-Initiated Cancellations: In the rare event that Dr Sumaiya NutriCare Clinic must cancel an appointment due to unforeseen medical emergencies or scheduling conflicts, the patient will be offered an immediate priority reschedule or a 100% full refund processed within 5–7 business days to the original payment method.

5. Dr. Sumaiya NutriFood Product Orders, Shipping & Replacement Policy

This section governs physical health and nutritional food products supplied under the brand name Dr. Sumaiya NutriFood.

5.1 Quality Standards & Food Hygiene

All nutritional food formulations, dietary supplements, and health snacks are manufactured, packaged, and inspected in compliance with applicable food safety standards (FSSAI norms) and sealed for hygiene and consumer safety.

5.2 Shipping & Delivery SLA

• Order Processing & Dispatch: Orders are processed and dispatched within 1 to 2 business days (excluding Sundays and national holidays).
• Delivery Timelines: Standard pan-India transit time is 3 to 7 business days depending on the destination pin code. Tracking details are communicated via SMS/email upon dispatch.

5.3 Return & Replacement Policy

• Perishable & Hygiene Goods: Due to strict food safety and hygiene protocols, opened or consumed food products are strictly non-returnable and non-refundable.
• Damaged, Defective, or Incorrect Deliveries: If you receive a product package that is physically damaged in transit, expired, or contains an incorrect item, you must notify our customer support team within 24 to 48 hours of receipt at doc@drsumaiya.com with your order ID and clear photographic or unboxing video proof.
• Resolution: Upon verification, Dr. Sumaiya NutriFood will dispatch a complimentary replacement within 48 business hours or issue a full refund/store credit if the product is out of stock.

6. Cookie & Web Analytics Policy

We use cookies and standard web analytics technologies to ensure optimal website performance, enhance user navigation, and analyze aggregated traffic trends on https://drsumaiya.com.

6.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Critical for core website security, session management, and load balancing. These cannot be disabled.
• Functional Cookies: Store preferences such as form progress, language settings, and display modes.
• Analytics & Performance Cookies: Anonymized usage data (e.g., Google Analytics) to help us understand page engagement, bounce rates, and improve educational content.

6.2 Managing Cookie Preferences

You can instruct your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) to refuse cookies or alert you when a cookie is being placed. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the usability of interactive features such as appointment forms and patient portals.

7. Statutory Grievance Redressal & Official Contact Information

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the contact details of the designated Grievance Redressal Officer and official clinic address are provided below: