Soon in Maharashtra: Doctors to display QR codes at clinics, hospitals to verify credentials
This initiative has been taken by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and it is in the process of finalising it.;
Mumbai: Soon, doctors in Maharashtra will have to display QR codes at clinics and hospitals to verify their credentials. This new initiative, spearheaded by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) aims to combat the growing concern over unqualified practitioners operating in the state.
The MMC is currently finalizing the details of the plan, which will affect the 1.8 lakh doctors registered with the council. This move is part of a broader effort by the semi-quasi-judicial body to ensure that only qualified professionals practice medicine. The MMC had previously decided to issue registration certificates with individual QR codes to prevent forgery and tampering with medical licenses.
Dr Vinky Rughwani, administrator at the MMC told The Indian Express, “Anyone who visits a doctor for consultation at his/her clinic can scan the QR code to verify the requisite qualification. This in a way will also help keep a check and prevent the practice of bogus doctors.”
“We do receive complaints from patients who have undergone treatment and have not recovered. In the past too, measures have been taken and now we are in the process of finalising the new project,” Dr Rughwani said
Dr Amit Dravid, an infectious diseases consultant talked about the importance of adopting strict measures to curb quackery. “It is important to get tough about quackery. Multiple issues need to be addressed; right from ensuring that the doctor’s registration number and degrees are displayed at the reception desk and on his/her prescription letter pad. Beyond this QR code initiative, more strategies need to be sternly implemented to check the malpractice,” Dr Dravid pointed out.
Dr Sanjay Patil, state secretary of IMA’s Hospital Board of India pointed out the prevalence of such cases in fringe rural areas. “Due to sustained efforts of the civic health department and the IMA, awareness has been stepped up about the practice of bogus doctors and there is a fair amount of vigilance in the urban areas,” he said.
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