THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Medical Councils (KSMC) have intensified its crack down on practitioners displaying qualifications not officially recognised by them, as they look to curb fraudulent and unqualified medical practices and safeguard patient welfare.
The Council for Indian System of Medicine has been particularly active, investigating clinics and practitioners with unregistered or unrecognised qualifications.
“The law mandates that only registered practitioners can legally practice,” said council president Dr Sreekumar T D. “We deploy teams to conduct investigations, and based on their findings, decide whether to grant registration,” he said, noting that such investigations often face resistance, leading to the involvement of police for ensuring compliance.
Recently, the council acted against SJ Herbo Life Ayurveda and Siddha Hospital in Kozhikode following a complaint by Campaign Against Pseudo Science Using Law and Ethics (CAPSULE), a public health initiative under the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP). The clinic’s doctor-promoter was summoned for violating the Kerala State Medical Practitioners (KSMP) Act, 2021.
Representatives from the Ayurvedic Medical Association of India too have expressed concern over illegal practices within the medical community, and are closely monitoring unethical and unregulated activities among practitioners.
While the Council for Indian Systems of Medicine focuses on alternative practices, the Council of Modern Medicine has been taking action against doctors having unregistered qualifications.
The council officials said there were multiple instances where doctors were found practising without proper registration of their MBBS qualifications or additional specialisations such as MD, MS, DNB, DM, MCH, and DrNB.
Some doctors were also found displaying additional qualifications not recognised by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which sets the national standards for medical practice. This is a violation of the National Medical Commission Act, 2020, as well as the KSMP Act, which mandates that all medical practitioners must be registered with the respective state medical council.
Medical practitioners are required to display their council registration number, registered qualifications, and a legally attested copy of their registration certificate at the locations where they practice.
Only qualifications and registration numbers officially recognised and registered with the state medical council should be used on prescriptions, letterheads, and seals.