Telanagana Medical Council mandates QR codes to combat Quackery
Hyderabad: To ensure that patients get treatment only from qualified medical practitioners, the Telangana Medical Council (TSMC) has directed all registered doctors to display their QR codes at their clinics and even on prescriptions.
These QR codes, issued by the council to qualified doctors at the time of registration and are printed on the registration certificate. When scanned, the code provides essential background information about the registered doctor, ensuring transparency.
This will help the patients verify a doctor's credentials before seeking medical treatment to avoid falling prey to fake doctors, which are rising at an increasing rate in Telangana.
Also read- Illegal clinics run by Quacks busted in Telangana Medical Council Inspections
Since many patients visit their nearest clinics in the area for emergency treatment, the council has asked the doctors to voluntarily start displaying the QR codes so that they don't visit a fake doctor's clinic and risk their health.
In case the general public is interested in finding the registration details of a doctor, they too can visit the website of the TGMC and search for the details by using the doctor's registration number. The council's website has a search option for doctors.
It has been alleged that the Council had adopted this practice of providing QR codes for the past several months. Speaking in this regard, vice-chairman, Dr G Srinivas told Telangana Today, “QR codes are already there in every registration certificate issued by TGMC. All doctors can voluntarily display their QR codes on their clinic board or even prescriptions. This goes a long way in ensuring there is transparency."
"We have a doctor search option on our TSMC online website. There is a facility available where the details of the doctor can be searched with a registration number,” Dr Srinivas pointed out.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the much-awaited 'Know Your Doctor', an exclusive and one-of-a-kind platform created to combat the growing menace of quacks in the state and ensure the highest standards of patient safety, was ultimately launched by the Maharashtra Medical Council in February this year. This innovative mobile application will allow patients to verify a doctor's credentials before seeking medical treatment.
Also read- Know Your Doctor: Maharashtra Medical Council to combat quackery with QR Codes
