M'lore: Beware of Quacks! Seven Docs in City Suspected to be Fake
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (RD)
Mangalore, Oct 9: It may be a noble profession, but sadly, some of the practicing 'doctors' seem to be stooping to ignoble levels to become what they are not.
In a revelation that raises serious questions regarding ethics and perhaps laxity of the health department and which may be of serious concern to people, especially patients, the state Ayush department has found that there are at least seven quacks (non-certified doctors) practicing in the city, in their bogus clinics.
The findings do not apply to allopathic doctors but to those practicing in the traditional and alternative health care sector (like ayurveda) which includes treatment through herbal medicines, biomedicines, acupuncture, massage, acupressure, nutritional therapy, and other similar methods.
In a recent scrutiny of records, the state Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy (AYUSH) department has cast serious doubts about the credentials of seven such practitioners in the city.
Taluk health officer Rathnakar said that several complaints were received about untrained doctors in the taluk, following which the administration decided to get to the heart of the matter. In accordance with the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act-2007, clinics and doctors, except allopathic practitioners, were asked to submit their credentials to the taluk health department. The deadline issued was October 24, 2010 which was later extended.
The credentials that were submitted were scrutinized by the taluk health department and passed on to the deputy commissioner (DC) for approval to grant them certificates.
Out of the 900 clinics in the taluk, only 400 were issued certificates, and another 100 applications were put under scrutiny. Out of these, seven clinics are suspected to be operating with fake credentials.
Details about doctors and clinics under suspicion were sent to Ayush department in Bangalore to make a thorough investigation into these cases. Though an official communication is yet to be made, it is believed that at least seven doctors in the city have been found to be quacks, sources said.
Rathnakar said that since no official announcement has been made by Ayush, the taluk health department is not in a position to take action against offenders. For the same reason, the details about the quacks have not been released to the media.