After Delhi HC rap, medical council says it will ask govt. to write to all hospitals on fake doctors

High Court says Delhi Medical Council needs to be ‘more present on ground’ to deal with the issue

Following the High Court’s rebuke on the issue of unqualified medical practitioners, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on Friday said it would ask the Delhi government’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to initiate action.

“The council is planning to request the DGHS to write to all government and private hospitals to check whether their doctors are registered with us,” DMC Secretary Girish Tyagi told The Hindu.

The development comes in the backdrop of a fake doctors’ racket busted last month following complaints of deaths due to negligence. Two persons who posed as doctors and performed operations at a south Delhi clinic, two qualified surgeons who ran the establishment, and a pharmacist were arrested.

Earlier in the day, the High Court had pulled up the DMC over the rising number of fake doctors and quacks in the city.

Hearing a petition seeking verification of all medical practitioners in the city, a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notices to the DMC and the National Medical Commission.

“This is a problem that the society is facing at large. The fact that DMC is not having the desired impact is a problem. You have to be a lot more present on [the] ground,” it noted.

The petitioners include six-year-old Devarsh, who suffered a brain injury at birth, and his mother; a class-IV NDMC employee who lost his daughter; an advocate who lost his wife; and a healthcare activist.

The High Court suggested to the statutory bodies that the names of doctors be published in public domain so that “everyone can cross-check” their credentials.

“We may be inclined to direct that verification can be done by a committee... Some process of verification may have to be initiated,” it added.

During the hearing, counsels for the DMC and the NMC said that the plea did not mention that litigation was already ongoing between the authorities and some of the petitioners.

The counsel for the petitioners responded that all details have been mentioned, adding that unqualified doctors were “doing a crime” and the process of verification must be directed to be undertaken.

The court will hear the case again on January 24.

‘Registration mandatory’

Speaking on the issue of unqualified doctors, Dr. Tyagi said it is mandatory for every doctor to register with the DMC to practice in the city, according to the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997.

“To make sure that this is being followed, the DMC writes to hospitals at regular intervals asking to them check if all their doctors are registered with us and report back to us. Also, before registering a doctor with the DMC, we verify the person’s educational qualifications,” he added.