HYDERABAD: For long, registered doctors have been raising the issue of violations committed by Rural Medical Practitioners (RMP) and Private Medical Practitioners (PMP) such as prescribing antibiotics, not registering with paramedical board before starting their practise, referring patients to private hospitals on commission basis. The allegations are not too far from the truth as violations have been reported in Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nalgonda, and Hyderabad districts.
In Hyderabad district, no regular inspections have been carried out by the officials in the past two-years. This has helped the illegal practice to flourish. Officials, who did not want to be quoted, said that the last time checks were conducted, officials were pressured not to go ahead with it.To become an RMP or a PMP, a person has to practice under a registered doctor for three-years and at the end of it, the practice is accredited by the doctor. The document, with sign and registration number of the doctor, is taken to Para Medical Board where they are registered as Community Para Medical Member, said S Venkat Reddy, founder and president of TS PMPs, RMPs, Community practitioners Union.And to run a clinic, hospital or nursing home, one needs MBBS degree certificate, should be registered with Medical Board, and must register their establishment with DMHOs.
In October, Nalgonda DMHO K Bhanu Prasad Naik urged Primary Health Centre (PHC) authorities to make a list of people who are not registered but are running in-patient clinics and hospitals. He stated in a circular that some of RMPS, PMPs are using the title ‘Dr’ and deceiving patient by providing treatment which they are not authorised to.
Director of Public Health Dr Y Lalitha Kumari said, “As per The Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act-2010, standing instructions state that RMPs and PMPs should not call themselves doctors and should display boards as First-Aid Centres.” However, these rules are being flouted.
In Khammam, Bhadradri districts, the RMPs and PMPs do not stick only to administering first aid, but prescribe pain killers. They create panic among people and send them to private hospitals.
For every referral, they get commission. “There are many RMPs, PMPs in Hyderabad too who prescribe medicines though they are not supposed. A few of them run clinics based out of medical shops,” said an official who did not want to be quoted. President of TS PMPs, RMPs, Community practitioners Union, Venkat Reddy said that they have urged their members not to violate rules. “If anybody crosses limits, we support action taken against them,” Venkat Reddy said.
President of Healthcare reforms Doctors Association Dr K Mahesh Kumar said that if the existing staff is utilised, people don’t have to rely on RMPs and PMPs. “There are 27,000 ASHA workers who can be trained in first aid. Which means they perform duties of RMP, PMPs and they will offer services free of cost. Besides them, there are Multipurpose Health Workers (MPH), Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), Anganwadi workers who can be utilised in delivering government health services,” said Dr Mahesh Kumar.