All allopathy doctors should have proper qualifications: Odisha HC orders survey to identify fake doctors
Bhubaneswar: In order to ensure that all the allopathic doctors practicing in Odisha have proper and relevant qualifications, the State High Court has recently directed the State Government to devise a comprehensive plan for undertaking a survey in this regard.
The HC bench of Chief Justice Dr S. Muralidhar and Justice S.K. Panigrahi has further clarified in the order that the concerned survey should be concluded preferably within a period of six months.
In this regard, the bench has also directed the Additional Chief Secretary of the State Health Department to file an affidavit and specify in detail about the modalities of verification, the time frame for conducting the verification etc. The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 27.
These directions have been issued by the HC bench while considering a plea concerning fake doctors. During the hearing of the case on Wednesday, the bench was informed about the report of the World Bank claiming that 51 per cent of doctors do not have the proper and relevant qualifications.
As per the latest media report by Telegraph India, issuing directions to the State to conduct a survey to ensure that all the doctors in Odisha have requisite qualifications, the High Court has mentioned in the order, "Such a survey should be undertaken in a time-bound manner and be concluded preferably within a period of six months."
"An affidavit will be filed in this Court by the Addl. Chief Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department, at least one week prior to the next date, setting out the modalities of verification, the time period within which the verification will be concluded and the consequential action if it is found that a person was practising without due qualification. The steps be taken in coordination with the Medical Council of India," the bench further mentioned in the order.
While commenting on the matter, Health Services director Bijoy Mohapatra told the daily, "We will comply with the orders of the high court. I don't have the source of the survey of the World Bank regarding the qualification of doctors. Whether the survey is Odisha-specific or India-specific that will be ascertained first. However, all those doctors working in the state have already been registered. There is no denying that quacks are still working at the village level."
