Pharmabiz.com:
Mumbai: Monday, 01 September 2014.
Maharashtra
Medical Council (MMC) has served show cause notices to 11 Mumbai based doctors
for getting engaged in medical practice in a hospital without MMC
registrations. Section 33 of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961
prohibits medical practice by unregistered and unlisted persons.
The show
cause notices served comes close on the heels of a Right to Information (RTI
Act) application filed by a Mumbai based finance consultant in a medical
negligence case. MMC in its reply on the RTI application revealed that 11
doctors of a reputed hospital are not registered with MMC. Explains an MMC
Official, "The show cause notices served is intended to seek a
satisfactory answer or explanation within 15 days from the doctors for
practicing without registrations with the state medical council."
An MMC
official talking about the magnanimity of the problem related to unregistered
doctors and quacks in the country also revealed that Maharashtra alone has over
one lakh quacks whereas Delhi has 40,000 quacks as per a study done a few years
back.
In its RTI
application filed this year by a healthcare advocacy group Chikitsasansar Trust
has also contested that absence of any government regulation led to widespread
quackery across the country. Explains Ashok Khandelwal from Chikitsasansar
Trust," There are over 2 lakh electropaths working in an unregulated
manner because there is no Act in place. As such it does not come under the
purview of either of the central or state government's medical Act. This can
have a bearing on the patient safety as quacks are practicing it in several
villages of the country."
While
contesting the issue of recognition of electro homoeopathy which has come up
before various high courts, its practitioners say that no law has banned its
practice and they are entitled to engage in a profession as guaranteed by the
Constitution. The right of electro homoeopathic practitioners are well
protected under Article 19(1)(g) of Constitution of India.
For
practicing modern medicine or any other forms of Indian system of medicine like
Ayurveda/Unani systems of medicine, registration is required under Medical
Council Act. For getting these registrations, the applicants should also
possess the prescribed qualifications. But electro homoeopathy is an entirely
different system of medicine. Its practice is not controlled by any state in
India. It is not prohibited by any law also.
Therefore,
the practitioners have a fundamental right under Article (19) (1) (g) of the
constitution of India to proceed with the practice of the electro homoeopathy.
Doctors can practice electro homoeopathy by settled law of the Government of
India which means law allowed.