Andhra Pradesh - Karimnagar   

‘Fake' doctors on the prowl

KARIMNAGAR: “The practice of medicine is an art and not a trade”, says an old saying. But, the noble medical profession has descended to the level of ordinary business.

People are flocking to become doctors to earn money at the cost of patient's well-being.

Misleading people

Some doctors of Karimnagar who had studied medicine in Russia and other east European countries are misleading the entire medical fraternity and innocent people by sporting “MD physician” tag.

Surprisingly, they are proliferating in the government headquarters hospital in the heart of Karimnagar.

The Indian Medical Association sources said that in India, an MD (doctor in medicine) degree is awarded as a postgraduate qualification, but the Russian degree of MD is just a diploma in medicine and equivalent to the MBBS degree.

But, the graduate medical degree holders who studied in Russia are displaying a post-graduate degree and misleading the public including the educated, they said.

Quoting section 7.20 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, etiquette and ethics) regulations 2002, they said that “a physician shall not claim to be specialist unless he has a special qualification in that branch”.

They said that the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council had also directed the medical fraternity to ban the display of qualifications by certain doctors in the State to avoid confusion in the minds of people.

Alarming situtation

District president of Lok Satta voluntary organisation N. Srinivas flayed the Medical Department and the IMA for not taking any action against these ‘fake' doctors in the district.

He appealed Collector Smita Sabharwal, to probe into the unethical nexus between some doctors and RMPs and PMPs of the town.

Black sheep

He said some black sheep in the medical fraternity are spoiling the environment by encouraging RMPs and PMPs for sake of their own business.

He also alleged that they would hand over huge gifts to the RMPs and even autowallahs for getting patients to their respective hospitals in the town.

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