All Senior Doctors have to update Credentials with Tamil Nadu Medical council: TN Gazette

Chennai: All senior medical practitioners, over the age of 70 years and practising in the state will have to mandatorily update their credentials with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, or else they will be classified as " inaccessible or dormant."

A recent notification to this effect was released by the council in the state gazette.  The notification, by Dr. R.S. SHANMUGARAJAN, registrar, Tamil Nadu medical council stated

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council directs all its registered medical practioners above the age of 70 years as on 1st June 2018 to update their credentials with the Council from 1st December 2018 to 31st January 2019. These senior doctors are exempted from complying with the clause 1.2.3. of the Code of Medical Ethics of the Council but shall update their details in the prescribed format and supportive self-attested specified documents by post to the address given below.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council in its meeting held on 30.10.2018 has resolved to strictly implement the update process. All the senior doctors above 70 years of age are directed to send the details in the Senior Doctors Update Form No.5 available in website www.tnmedicalcouncil.org.

The notice comes in light of the fact that around 15,000 of the state's 1.4 lakh registered medical practitioners are over the age of 70 and are presumed not in practice. Many doctors are even beyond the age of 90, and the council has currently no exact idea whether these doctors are practising or not. In a bid to create an active registry of doctors to determine the actual number of medical practitioners working in the state, the council has now asked the senior doctors to update their credentials. Those who do not do so will be considered out of practice.

Those Senior Doctors who hasn't updated within the said time will be listed as "Dormant and Inaccessible Practitioners' from 1st February 2019. These Dormant and Inaccessible Practitioners will not be eligible for privileges given to them by the Council For practical purposes they will be considered de-listed from the Registry.

Those members who has expired shall also be notified by their kith and kin or friends with death certificate. Those expired members will be retained in the Registry in the expired list.

The Gazette notification gives the correspondence address a: The Registrar, Tamil Nadu Medical Council, Post Box No.7185, M.M.D.A. Colony, Arumbakkam, Chennai-600106. adding that The cover shall be marked "UPDATE OF SENIOR DOCTOR 70 PLUS"