HYDERABAD: The Healthcare Reform Doctors Association (HRDA) on Friday sent a letter to the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly requesting the removal of the term Gramin Vaidhyulu, or “rural doctor”, from the Assembly session records. The HRDA also urged all Legislative Assembly and Council members to avoid using the term “doctors” to address unregistered or fake medical practitioners.
According to the HRDA, the use of these terms can mislead the public into thinking that such practitioners are qualified doctors who can practice allopathy. In reality, these individuals are deceiving the public by prescribing scheduled medicines and performing illegal abortions, thus damaging public health.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr K Mahesh Kumar, president of HRDA, cited Government Order (GO) No. 428, dated June 29, 2015, which stipulates that “community paramedics shall not call themselves doctors”.Despite this order, many MLAs and ministers in recent Assembly sessions had referred to quacks as doctors, he said.
Request to CM
Dr Kumar added that MLA Jayaprakash Reddy from Sangareddy had requested Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to provide village doctor status to these non-registered medical practitioners.
HRDA also sent a letter to Reddy, urging him to focus on public health issues, such as the construction of a new building for Osmania General Hospital and the recruitment of specialist doctors, among others.