West Bengal to re-verify credentials of 1.1 lakh registered doctors

Kolkata: The West Bengal government is planning a statewide re-verification of around 1.1 lakh registered doctors after a sample survey uncovered several cases of fake medical practitioners, prompting the Health Department to review the entire medical registration database.

The proposed exercise, titled 'Know Your Doctor' (KYD), will involve verifying the identity, medical qualifications and registration documents of every doctor listed with the State Medical Council. West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said the decision was taken following a meeting between the Health Department and the Council.

The verification process will be conducted through two modes: Manual Know Your Doctor (MKYD) and Video Know Your Doctor (VKYD). Doctors who can visit the Council's office will have to submit their documents in person, while elderly practitioners and those living in remote locations will be allowed to complete the process through video conferencing.

The department is also considering engaging private agencies to support the exercise. It has asked the IT division at Swasthya Bhawan to explore replacing the existing registration software while ensuring that the current database remains intact during the transition.

The exercise will not be limited to doctors who initially registered in West Bengal. Practitioners who obtained their registrations in other states before moving to West Bengal will also come under scrutiny. Officials are preparing a list of such doctors, including those originally registered in Odisha, Bihar, Assam and Jharkhand. Teams may be sent to these states to verify their initial registration details and the medical councils that issued their certificates, ETV Bharat reported. 

The review will also help identify outdated entries, including doctors who have died, moved abroad or stopped practising medicine. Those residing overseas will be able to complete verification through the video-based process and may retain their West Bengal registration if they choose to do so.

The Health Minister clarified that the exercise does not call into question the validity of existing registrations. It is intended to verify the records and remove incorrect or outdated entries, rather than invalidate the registrations of practising doctors. 

The department has also approached the National Medical Commission (NMC) seeking clarification on whether any legal provisions could affect the proposed exercise. Its response is awaited. 

An official notification detailing the verification process is expected shortly. However, the exercise may take time to complete, particularly with the festive season approaching. The department has described the initiative as an effort to clean up and update the state's medical registry, and clarified that it is unrelated to the upcoming State Medical Council elections.