Fake Doctor Menace: Orrisa HC summons Chairman of Odisha Council for Medical Registration

Cuttack: In response to the emerging menace of fake doctors in the state, the Orissa High Court recently mandated the presence of the Chairman of the Odisha Council for Medical Registration (OCMR) to provide his opinion on how to address the issue of fake doctors effectively.

The court has called upon the chairman to appear at the upcoming hearing, stressing that the issue of fake doctors operating without proper medical credentials across the state is a serious criminal matter.

The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman was hearing a PIL on fake doctors filed by the Odisha State Legal Services Authority.

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During the session on Tuesday, the court said, “Considering the significance of the issue which the present proceeding in the nature of PIL involves relating to fake doctors, we consider it proper in the interest of justice to request the chairman (of) OCMR to be present in the court on the next date when we shall take up the matter after one week.”

Further, the court added, "There can not be again saying that conduct of persons acting as doctors without any valid degree/certificate constitute criminal offences. We do not have any clue as to whether any criminal cases have been registered in this regard. We shall address this aspect on the next date. On the next date, we shall also take up the issue of non-compliance of previous orders passed by the court in present proceedings."

Amicus curiae Gautam Misra had earlier suggested the creation of a comprehensive online database of all medical practitioners in the state, which will be accessible to the general public to crosscheck the genuineness of all medical practitioners. The court had directed the state government to consider implementing the suggestion as well.

In previous orders, the court had directed the state government to inform whether there was any surveillance mechanism to identify the fake doctors. If not, whether the state government is contemplating introducing surveillance to curb the menace of fake doctors and what further action it proposed to take against establishments either run by the fake doctors or collaborated by them, TOI reports.

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