Kerala Medical Council Suspends Doctor’s Registration for Three Months, Imposes ₹1 Lakh Fine
Thiruvananthapuram – In a decisive move, the Kerala State Medical Council (Council of Modern Medicine) has suspended a doctor’s registration for three months and imposed a ₹1 lakh fine for practising with unrecognised and unregistered medical qualifications.
The Council took action after it was revealed that the doctor, based in Thiruvananthapuram, had ignored repeated warnings and directives. A complaint filed in 2022 alleged that the practitioner was displaying additional unrecognised qualifications in clinical practice.
Misleading Claims and Continued Violations
The doctor had claimed to have completed MD (Medicine) and PhD (Medicine) from Nicaragua and applied for equivalency with the National Medical Commission (NMC). However, the Ethics Committee discovered that the NMC does not issue such certificates, making the claim misleading. These degrees were not listed among the recognised qualifications by the NMC.
Despite being fined ₹50,000 earlier and ordered to remove the unregistered qualifications from his name board, seal, and prescription pads, the doctor failed to comply fully. A surprise inspection at Jubilee Memorial Hospital in February 2025 revealed that he continued to display the unrecognised qualifications.
Council’s Final Decision
On July 3, the Council ordered that his name be removed from the State Medical Register for three months, citing his repeated disregard for professional ethics and council directives. The doctor has also been directed not to present himself as a specialist until he obtains proper recognition.
Scope for Appeal
As per Section 30(3) of the NMC Act, 2019, and Clause 8.8 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, the doctor has the right to appeal the Council’s decision before the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of the NMC.
This is not the first instance of such action. Earlier, the Council had fined a doctor ₹10,000 after a complaint from the Payyannur branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for a similar violation involving unrecognised qualifications.
