Telangana Medical Council cracks down on quacks, 12 booked

Hyderabad: As part of an ongoing initiative to protect public health, the Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) has tightened its vigil against unqualified medical practitioners in the state. Recently, the council booked 12 Rural Medical Practitioners (RMPs) who were practicing outside their lawful domain.

In the city of Hyderabad alone, eight such cases were booked against RMPs, highlighting the problem of unqualified practitioners in urban setups.

Three such cases were booked in Sangareddy, citing the necessity to crack down seriously in rural setups. One each was booked at Banswada and Kamareddy, revealing the prevalence of spurious medicine even in medium-sized towns.

• Dundigal: Two of the fake doctors were booked on charges at Dundigal Police Station, J Jitender of Satvik Clinic and Shekhar of Shweta Clinic.
• Bachupally: K Aruna Kumari of Buchi Babu Clinic and Chandra Obul Reddy of Ash First Aid Center were charged.
• Sangareddy: P Kishan Rao of Srinivas Clinic, G Dastagiri of Dastagiri Clinic, and Dr Malka Goud of Manikantha First Aid Center were among the accused.
• Vanasthalipuram: G Chandrakhala of Smart Cure Center, C Srinivas of Vasu Medical and General Store and Clinic, P Mahesh of Ainush Diagnostic Center, and G Chandra Shekhar of Rajarshi Informary were involved.
• Banswada and Kamareddy: Shivakumar of the Dhanvantari Clinic was terminated for claiming to be an eye doctor when he was just an eye technician.

TGMC’s Stance

The TGMC vice chairman Dr G Srinivas reasserted that no leniency will be shown to those practicing medicine illegally. He underlined that the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act will be strictly enforced to safeguard public health.

Srinivas pointed out that a large number of RMPs are prescribing antibiotics, steroids, and painkillers without any valid medical rationale, creating a serious threat to public health.

The activity of unqualified persons giving medical care not only contravenes legal standards but also carries serious health threats to unsuspecting patients. The TGMC has called on the public to be alert and report any suspicious medical activities to the authorities.

While the TGMC strives to contain such practices, it is important for the public to check the credentials of medical doctors prior to taking treatment. The struggle against quacks serves to underscore the need for stricter action and awareness programs to safeguard public health in Telangana.

Telangana Medical Council, Chairman, Dr Mahesh Kumar K has warned that if the same mistake is repeated in the inspection again, an FIR will be registered.

Background

This action against quacks comes as part of a comprehensive initiative by the TGMC to curb illegal practices.

More than 412 cases have been registered till now, but the problem remains, with several underqualified practitioners still active, especially in rural Telangana.

The TGMC has been carrying out frequent raids and filing cases under the NMC Act and the Telangana State Medical Practitioners Registration (TSMPR) Act.