The Tamil Nadu Government, with the help of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC), is planning stringent action against unregistered doctors to weed out quacks operating in the state.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister N. Thalaivi Sundaram has assured prompt action and full cooperation to the Tamil Nadu branch of IMA to locate and book quacks operating in Tamil Nadu, it is learnt. The Minister has asked TNMC and IMA to prepare a district-wise list of doctors within a month's time, and said the Government would take strict action against all the doctors not registered with TNMC.

The list will be given to police authorities in all the districts to take necessary action against unregistered practitioners. The minister noted that it was compulsory on the part of doctors to register with TNMC, as it is equivalent of the bar council for lawyers mandating them to practice in courts only with its approval.

Talking to Pharmabiz.com, Dr. M. Balasubramanian, President of TNMC, said the council would offer its full co-operation to book quacks, though the Government so far has not communicated officially on the matter. He said TNMC is in the process of updating the database of doctors in Tamil Nadu, and has extended the deadline up to 31st of October to furnish details like change of address, additional qualifications etc., instead of the earlier deadline of 30th September, by which only 9000 doctors responded to its communication.

"As per the MCI norms, currently the registration is for a period of five years, and it is natural many doctors change their workplace and residence within five years. We have updated database up to 2002, and we are trying to get a correct picture. Provisions are also being made to collect information on doctors having degrees that are not being approved by Medical Council," said Dr. Balasubramanian.

He said about 75, 000 doctors are registered with TNMC, of which 8000 doctors are dead or have gone abroad for overseas services, according to available information. Annually about 1800 doctors enroll with the Council as per the P2 certificates submitted to the Council, and to the knowledge of TNMC, about 55, 000 registered doctors are actively practicing in Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Balasubramanian, who was also an IMA office bearer, said IMA had tried to locate quacks through its 130 odd branch network in the state, and had identified about 2000 unregistered doctors or those could be termed as quacks operating in the state. However, that database was lost when office of IMA was shifted from Tambaram to Salem last year.