Telangana Junior Doctors urge action against Quacks

In a strong statement, T-JUDA demanded that the Health and Law Departments enforce stricter regulations, initiate immediate arrests, and impose harsher penalties on quacks and those supporting them. The association emphasized that unqualified individuals posing as medical professionals endanger public health and must not be allowed to continue their unlawful practices.

T-JUDA also condemned recent protests by self-proclaimed Rural Medical Practitioners (RMPs) and Private Medical Practitioners (PMPs) at Indira Park, labelling their demands for legal recognition as “disgraceful.” The junior doctors expressed outrage that individuals without proper medical training were seeking legitimacy to continue treating patients, which they believe puts innocent lives at risk.

Dr Rahul Kommu, President of T-JUDA told Medical Dialogues, “These quacks have only keened small minor procedures like dressing but they are running clinics. In Telangana, there were only three medical colleges and a shortage of doctors and these unlicensed practitioners started treating patients. But now that the government is trying to establish a medical college in each district, there will be no shortage of doctors. Hence, it is the right time to take proper action against such quacks. Most importantly the Ministry of Health and Family Healthcare has now taken the initiative of opening Basti Dabakhana and Palli Dabakhana in remote villages also. This is high time to take proper steps by quacks."

He further added, "People, even politicians are also trusting them. In rural areas, people have too much faith in these quacks and some political figures. In order to ensure a proper vote bank, some political figures continue to support them and indulge them with flimsy and inauthentic certification. I myself was working in Karimnagar and there is a certain kind of corruption going on where these quacks, in case of serious patients, refer them to particular private facilities and ask the private facilities to pay them a portion of the payment (often 30% of the fee) as commission. This is a very serious problem as it is ultimately the patients who have to bear the brunt of the additional amount. The patient is becoming a scapegoat, unsuspecting of the quack’s actual motive."  

He also pointed out that doctors who are employed in rural areas should receive sufficient amounts otherwise they will not be eager to serve in the hostile circumstances in a remote area and ultimately the area will be dependent on such quacks. In fact, the government can come up with some innovative ways to encourage doctors to serve in villages and rural areas. For example, the government pays Rs 10000 to patients for institutional delivery in government colleges but if they give at least half of it for the delivery to the doctor, they will be more encouraged to serve.