Renting out of letterheads by doctors, a common ground nowadays

More than half a dozen doctors have been borrowing out their letterheads, prescription pads and name boards to quacks for a monthly fee of Rs. 25000 to Rs. 50000, as per the revelations made by the officials of the directorate of medical and rural health services.

Recently, the officials of the directorate filed a police complaint against a Theni-based registered medical professional Dr. Veeranan Kannan for renting out his name board and prescription to a quack named Vinodh Joy. The quack, Joy, runs a clinic and a pharmacy in Devaram in Theni district.

"We caught him red-handed prescribing medicines on Dr Kannan's prescription pad. But several people from the neighbourhood surrounded us and prevented us from arresting him and seizing drugs from him. During inquiry, Joy said he paid the doctor Rs 25,000 every month. Dr Kannan, on the other hand, told us he visits the clinic once every week," stated joint director of the directorate Dr. Gurunathan.

A Supreme Court ruling in 1996 denotes anyone practicing modern medicine without registered training and even those who have been trained in alternative systems as quacks. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 stipulates that only those who have been registered with the Medical Council of India can practice medicine council of India can practice medicine professionally.

Before this, two Chennai-based Indian medicine practitioners were found writing allopathic medicines on a gynecology prescription. "The allopathic doctors are well known in the area. We are unable to reveal their names as the case is under investigation. We have information about at least three more doctors who have been helping quacks. We will be sending their names to the medical council for disciplinary action including suspension," stated experts at Nirmal Singh 3C.  

There are about an estimated 50,000 quacks in Tamil Nadu, most of them in rural areas. In the past one year, over a 100 quacks have been arrested. But most of them are now free, and some of them have resumed practice. Due to the absence of anti-quackery laws in the state, fake practitioners get away with just a fine of a thousand bucks. But, the government has now kept a law officer to deal with the court cases: “We want to ensure that quacks aren't let out on bail. We also want the medical council to suspend doctors aiding quacks," stated director of medical services Dr Bhanu.

The state medical council which has to take action against doctors has been dysfunctional for over eight months now. They are unable to take disciplinary action against doctors who are guilty because it needs to be ratified by at least seven members of the governing council. They don’t have the quorum, in the opinion of experts at Nirmal Singh 3C