Punjab mulls regulation of unregistered medical practitioners

Chandigarh: Punjab has directed all civil surgeons across the state to prepare a comprehensive list of unregistered medical practitioners (URMPs) as part of a proposed government initiative to bring the informal healthcare sector under a regulated framework.

According to news reports, the move comes amid a persistent shortage of qualified doctors in the state, particularly in rural areas, where hundreds of posts remain vacant at community health centres (CHCs), primary health facilities and other government institutions. As a result, a large section of the rural population continues to depend on informal practitioners for first-contact healthcare. 

Also Read:Fake doctors putting lives at risk, Hyderabad police warns public

Officials estimate that at least one lakh unregistered medical practitioners may be operating across the state. The government has said the exercise is aimed at identifying these practitioners, assessing their qualifications and experience, and subsequently providing them with state-run training.

“Regulation is the core objective. We will collect the data and provide them training according to their qualifications,” said state health minister Dr Balbir Singh. “The government would first provide training to such practitioners, and those who complete it would be allowed to provide basic healthcare services or practise within a proposed framework,” reports Hindustan Times.

District health authorities have been asked to collect detailed information on unregistered practitioners, including their educational qualifications, clinical experience and history of practice.

The practitioners are also required to submit a self-declaration proforma, attested by their local sarpanch or municipal councillor, expressing their willingness to undergo government training.

The health department has already issued two reminders to civil surgeons to speed up the data-collection exercise, indicating that the government intends to move quickly towards establishing a formal regulatory framework.

A senior health department official said the government is expected to approach the Punjab Medical Education and Research Department to develop specialised training modules once the details of eligible practitioners have been compiled.

The proposal, however, has triggered strong opposition among sections of the medical fraternity and public health experts, who fear that training and subsequently permitting unregistered practitioners to provide healthcare could amount to institutionalising quackery.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Former civil surgeon Dr Daler Singh Multani warned that the decision could prove disastrous for the state’s healthcare standards. “These are quacks, and the government will promote quackery by registering them and allowing them to practise,” Dr Multani said. “They have contributed to maternal deaths, the spread of Hepatitis C and HIV, and female foeticide. Medical science is a highly intellectual profession, and you cannot allow someone to practise based on a few months of training.” 

Dr Balbir Singh said those who undergo training would be permitted to perform only those services that fall within their prescribed scope. The government would also establish boundaries for the procedures they could undertake and the conditions they could manage.

Also Read:Class 12 pass Quack arrested in Pune after practising medicine for 2 years