The Delhi Medical Council’s (DMC) unorthodox move to crack down on quacks posing as medical professionals in the national capital and rehabilitating them through short-term technical training courses is drawing bouquets and brickbats alike. The DMC and the state government are getting ready to conduct a door-to-door survey to tag these charlatans and then offer them free medical technician course to bring them into the fold.

However the novel concept is not going down well with all in the medical fraternity. Many see the step as a futile exercise and blame lax regulations and absence of adequate number of qualified medical professionals in the country for the growing number of quack doctors. Doctor-to-patient ratio in India is 0.7:1000 while the World Health Organisation recommendation is 1:1000.

According to unofficial figures, there are 50,000 quacks in the capital, but the data lacks authenticity. Officials say that the number is overestimated and the survey is planned to help the government map areas with high number of quacks. The council has already invited expression of interest from non-governmental organisations and research groups to conduct the survey and tag quacks to find the actual count.

But not all are impressed. “The whole exercise is a waste of time and resources. Estimating the number of quacks won’t serve any purpose. Offering them short-term courses would be like officially enabling them to carry out their unethical practice,” Dr MC Gupta, a prominent doctor-turned-medico-legal consultant, told Pharmabiz.

“In fact there is an unholy nexus between these quacks and some doctors. The former helps the latter garner patients. They are also backed by some medical diagnostic service providers,” Gupta pointed out.   

Dr Mukesh Yadav, Principal of NC Medical College, Haryana, begs to differ and welcomes the DMC step. “When many state health departments and medical councils look away, the Delhi initiative is a step in the right direction. Offering them free training in medical technician courses is advisable and sensible as these segments need more qualified hands,” Dr Yadav opined.

Under law, the Medical Council of India and its state chapters are responsible for taking action against those who practise medicine without a medical qualification. Responses given by the Health Ministry to Parliament have invariably stated that it is for the State Medical Councils to take action.

The DMC had issued several warning to quacks in the past too. To curb their activities, the Directorate of Health Services of the Delhi government had allocated funds to provide digital cameras to the chief district medical officers to record their activities which could be used as evidence when they were produced in court. But in the absence of firm and swift actions from authorities, the fraudsters continue their illicit trade.   

Experts point out loopholes in regulations to help these con-men thrive. Police officers and district magistrates, who are supposed to take action, become helpless as the offences are non-cognisable and arrests cannot be made without a complaint. In most cases, no member of the public is willing to file a written complaint.

There are about 35,000 MBBS doctors registered with DMC, more than 7,000 Ayurvedic practitioners linked to the Bharatiya Chikitsa Parishad and about 2,000 Homeopaths registered with the Homeopathy Board. Though cross-pathy -- prescribing Homoeopathy and ayurvedic drugs along with allopathy medicines -- is illegal, the practice is rampant. “Instead of going for surveys and rehabilitation courses, the DMC should take action against these culprits and put them behind bars,” Dr Gupta added.