RMPs, quacks face govt stick for illegal practices

Hyderabad: With the RMPs, PMPs, and quacks running hospitals and other facilities illegally in districts, leading to complications for patients, the Telangana State Medical Council has cracked a whip on such hospitals and illegal doctors.

Along with the illegal hospitals, Pharm B certificates are also being given to failed candidates, risking the lives of the people. Of late there have been several instances of rural medical practitioners and private medical practitioners performing treatment without any qualification or experience, leading to complications. Taking cognizance of some of the incidents, the Telangana State Medical Council has carried out an intensive check of the hospitals and the doctors' records. The Council has also found that some of these unqualified doctors were performing abortions. Some of the Ayurveda, physiotherapy, and Unani doctors were also found giving allopathy treatment, which was not only resulting in endangering lives but also leaving the qualified doctors jobless.

Recently, the health task force and anti-quackery teams raided some primary health centres, hospitals, and physiotherapy centres and found several irregularities. The State Medical Council member, Dr Naresh Kumar, alleged that the fake doctors, with their limited knowledge, were providing treatment and risking their lives. With the anti-microbial resistance increasing in the State, their team, under the direction of the Medical Council, would take up an inquiry and take action against the illegal doctors. The team has also found that some of the pharmacists were giving medicines like antibiotics and steroids on the prescriptions given by the RMPs and PMPs. The RMPs and PMPs are not supposed to write prescriptions for allopathic medicines.

A couple of days ago, the Telangana State Drug Control Administration (DCA) conducted raids at clinics at three different locations in the city that were being operated by quacks. The officials seized medicines that were stocked at the clinics. According to DCA, Bakkathatla Nagesh was operating a clinic at Singampalli village, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, while another unqualified practitioner, Ashok Kumar, was running a healthcare facility at Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Jeedimetla, Medchal-Malkajgiri. The third person, Jalandhar, was operating a facility at Yedira village, Mahabubnagar district. During the course of the raids, the DCA teams seized a total of 70 varieties of drugs worth Rs 95,000 from the clinics that were being run by them.

In addition to quacks, the pharmacy sector also faces challenges from unqualified pharmacists operating medical stores. In a recent incident, one of the failed students got a pharmacy certificate, raising doubts over the negligence of the officials.

Former president of the Telangana State Pharmacy Council A Sanjay Reddy, wrote to the president of the Pharmacy Council of India, Dr Montu M Patel, alleging that a senior official of the of the Telangana State Pharmacy Council was involved in these irregularities. He also alleged that hundreds of students who had failed diplomas in pharmacy were issued registered pharmacist certificates.