Crackdown on Quacks: Telangana Medical Council raid three clinics in Karimnagar

Hyderabad: Fighting against quackery in Telangana, the State Medical Council officials recently raided three clinics operated by quacks in Karimnagar and filed First Information Reports (FIRs) against them for allegedly practising allopathy medicines. 

During the raid, the anti-quackery committee officers of Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) found that these quacks who were unqualified to practice medicine were using doctor prefixes and writing prescriptions, administering antibiotics and steroids to patients besides running inpatient beds in the clinics. 

This level of medical practice goes against the National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations. According to Section 34 of the NMC Act, one who is not enrolled in the State Register or the National Register is not entitled to sign or authenticate a medical or fitness certificate or any other certificate that is required by any law to be signed by a duly qualified medical practitioner or entitled to give evidence at any inquest or in any court of law as an expert under section 45 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 on any matter relating to medicine.  

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''Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees or with both,'' the Act stated.

Section 54 reads that no court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this Act except upon a complaint in writing made on this behalf by an officer authorized by the Commission or the Ethics and Medical Registration Board or a State Medical Council, as the case may be.

"Cases will be lodged on these quacks in concerned police stations as per Section 34 r/w 54 NMC ACT 2019 and Telangana Medical Council Rules 2013 TMPR ACT 1968," mentioned a press release. 

Meanwhile, officials have collected evidence against the quacks and submitted their details to the health minister's office for further action. Speaking about this, TGMC said, “We have collected prescriptions, medicines, injections and abortion kits as evidence. Based on these evidences, we have filed FIRs."

Dr G Srinivas of TGMC told TOI, “We found quacks administering antibiotics and steroid injections for which they were not qualified. These trio did not have any medical qualifications and were using the ‘medical practitioner and doctor’ prefixes. As per the rulebook, quacks are not allowed to prescribe medicines.”

"Some quacks raided in past weeks were found to have printed stationery with the names of clinics on it. In the last two months, documents of over 200 quacks were collected by officials," said TGMC as reported by the Daily. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that around 55 quacks were identified in recent surprise raids conducted by the Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) at first-aid centres in Suryapet and Nalgonda districts. It was found that despite not having any medical degree, they were administering various antibiotics, abortion pills, and steroid injections to patients, in addition to carrying out illegal secret abortion procedures. 

Besides, the quacks claimed themselves as doctors by displaying a signboard at their centres which stated they were Registered Medical Practitioners and Private Medical Practitioners. They were found practising medicine at the level of MBBS which goes against the NMC regulations.

Taking action against these individuals who were putting lives at risk by providing medical treatment without the necessary qualifications, the council registered FIRs under Section 34 and Section 54 of the NMC Act.

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