Hyd police cracks down on illegal clinics, rounds up 107

Police have taken over 100 people into custody in a crackdown on fake and unauthorised medical clinics in Old City area.

The drive was launched following recent death of one Khaja Naeemuddin while undergoing treatment of an alleged quack, identified as Ismail Hussain, and a woman, under Hussaini Alam police station limits, suffering paralysis after obtaining medication from another quack.

The South Zone Police conducted the cordon and search operations last night as part of the 'Public Safety and Crime Prevention' and took into custody 107 persons.

The operation was conducted on private medical practitioners and registered medical practitioners (RMPS) pretending to be doctors and on practitioners of Ayurvedic, Unani, Sadhak and prescribing Allopathic medicine, DCP (South Zone) V Satayanarayana said.

During the search operation, police rounded up as many as 107 fake doctors including RMPs/quacks, fake dentists, BUMS, DHMS, and BEMS.

About 50 cases are being registered against the erring medical practitioners on charges of 420 (cheating) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC besides under relevant sections of Indian Medical Council Act, police said.

"Several of those practicing medicine and treating patients were not qualified to do so. Police are verifying their certificates by seeking the opinion of the Telangana Medical Council about prescribing the allopathic medicine to patients who are approaching them. Some of the practitioners closed their clinics," the DCP said.

The officer said police will not hesitate in registering non-bailable sections on those persons who are playing with the lives of the common public.

Due to increase in healthcare expenditure and other socio-economic factors, the poor in the city go to RMPs/quacks and other practitioners of Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, who have no licence to practice medicine, the DCP said.

Without any professional qualification to providing treatment, the RMPs and quacks don the roles of full-fledged doctors, catering to the needs of slum dwellers, daily wage labourers and deprived persons in several parts of Old City, he said.

He clarified that RMPs in the city can only function as para-medics, give first-aid and refer patients to qualified practitioners. "They are not authorised to prescribe allopathic medicines or administer injections," Satyanarayana said.

Police found that majority of BUMS/ BEMS practitioners are prescribing allopathic antibiotics to their patients and that RMPs prefixing word Dr before their name and prescribing allopathic medicine for the viral infection diseases.