Tamil Nadu Medical Council to take disciplinary action against Paediatrician for making false claims for diabetes cure
Chennai: A Kanyakumari-based paediatrician has landed in trouble for allegedly making fake claims and promising magical remedies for curing diabetes, with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council planning to suspend his medical license for one year as part of disciplinary action.
The Medical Council appointed a disciplinary committee after receiving complaints from senior doctors. The complaint stated that the paediatrician's photo was published in an advertisement that claimed that the doctor had reportedly cured a police superintendent of diabetes.
The treatment offered by the doctor, however, altered the diet of patients and included no medical prescriptions, stated the complaint. The committee stated that this is a violation of the code of medical ethics.
The committee had also issued a show-cause notice to the doctor, asking him to justify why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. The doctor, in his reply on May 2022, expressed regret and promised to follow the rules. He was given a summon to appear before the committee in August 2022.
Speaking to the Times of India, the council president Dr K Senthil said, "After a detailed inquiry, the committee has recommended disciplinary action against the doctor." Further, Dr Senthil added, "He has misled people by saying they can discontinue insulin and make diet changes to bring chronic diabetes under control. This can cause complications and even death in people with uncontrolled sugar levels. Worse, he claims to have cured people. Even if he had done that, he should get it published in a peer-reviewed medical journal and not posed for advertisements."
Warning about issuing press releases with doctors and patients photos, he said, "Doctors can create awareness and talk about prevention but must not boast or advertise their skills." He said that after taking the committee's analysis into consideration, the council would issue orders regarding the action to be taken against the doctor by early next week.
