Quackery Crackdown: Set up Centralized Verification Portal for fake doctors, plea filed in Kerala HC

Kochi: Amid the rising cases of fake doctors practising in the state, a plea filed by the General Practitioners Association, a registered society representing medical professionals calling for strict regulation to curb the practice of unlicensed doctors has been moved before the Kerala High Court.  

Claiming that a growing number of unqualified individuals are practising as doctors without valid medical credentials, leading to numerous cases of malpractice, negligence, and fatalities, the association in their plea urged the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Kerala State Medical Council to establish a centralized portal on the Kerala State Medical Council's website allowing citizens to easily verify the credentials of registered medical practitioners.

General Practitioners Association is a society registered under the Travancore Cochin Literary Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act. The Petitioner Society consists of registered medical practitioners working to uphold the dignity of the medical profession, particularly in general medical practice, and to safeguard the interests of its members while promoting cooperation among them.

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The petition was presented before Justice V G Arun, who scheduled the matter for further instructions on November 25 after it asked the state government to submit a response within the next hearing. 

The petitioners alleged that many individuals without a valid medical degree, along with those who return from international universities but do not pass the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations, participate in clinical practice or open their clinics. 

It further stated that even though complaints are filed against them, the number of FIRs being filed is low in comparison to the number of complaints being filed. Therefore, the petitioners requested the establishment of centralized portal of registered doctors and the practice of inspections in clinical establishments throughout the state to prevent the practice of fake medical practitioners.

The Petitioner Society has also submitted appeals to the Chief Minister, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, and the Kerala State Medical Council in this regard. 

“The cardinal issue pointed out in all these representations are regarding the use of registration number belonging to another medical practitioner for the purpose of appointments in hospitals or clinics, the inefficient functioning of State Medical Council, absence of a centralized portal to verify the registration of medical practitioners and most importantly the almost inexistent inspection of clinical establishments which has resulted in the voluminous increase of fake doctors across the state," mentioned the plea as reported by Live Law. 

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