Telangana Medical Council cracks whip on fake doctor in Rangareddy

Hyderabad: As part of its ongoing efforts to eliminate quackery in the state, the Telangana State Medical Council recently conducted a raid on an infirmary in Rangareddy and arrested a fraudster for allegedly claiming to be a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) without a medical degree and operating the facility with an illegal registration certificate.

The accused was found running the infirmary by impersonating another doctor, as he lacked the credentials to be a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP). To secure a registration certificate for operating the facility, the quack fraudulently used the actual doctor's qualifications to obtain the certificate from the Rangareddy District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO).

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The matter came to light after the council raided the facility based on a tip-off. The council has time and again clarified that inspections will be carried out in each corner of the state to curb the growing menace of quacks posing as Rural Medical Practitioners across the State.

This case has raised serious concerns about the questionable process of acquiring the certificate and the functionality of DMHO. While the DMHOs of Hyderabad and Rangareddy denied any oversight failures, they admitted that the rapid expansion of healthcare facilities has made it increasingly difficult to conduct regular inspections.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad DMHO said, “We would not be able to cover all the facilities in the city even if we visited them once a year." Similarly, Rangareddy DMHO said, “There are about 3,000 facilities in RR alone, so regular physical checks are not feasible. Moreover, the district registering authority boasts of just two or three persons."

Meanwhile, the accused has denied any wrongdoing. He claimed to have never operated such a clinic and served in that particular area. He said, "I have never worked in that area. I am currently an assistant professor in a government hospital. I previously practised in a few private hospitals but never owned a private clinic.”

There is no denying that quackery in Telangana is rising at an alarming rate, with the council intensifying its crackdown on unqualified practitioners and illegal medical facilities to protect patients from potential harm. However, the issue remains a significant concern but Medical Dialogues has been reporting about such instances consistently over the years.

A week ago, Medical Dialogues reported that the Telangana State Medical Council has registered cases against another 10 individuals based in Hyderabad, Vikarabad, who were found to practice allopathic medicine despite not being registered with the Council. The TGMC provided the list of fake doctors against whom the Council registered cases and clarified that more inspections would be conducted in Hyderabad, Warangal, and other major cities in the future.

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