Madurai: Justice K Murali Shankar of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court observed that though the government is duty-bound to deal with fake doctors with an iron fist it is quite surprising that the authorities remained a mute spectator even after coming to know about a hospital being run by a fake doctor and merely imposed a penalty. The bench was hearing a petition filed by K Amirthalal to cancel an order passed by the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM) against a hospital run by him in Tenkasi district.
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The court said the Block Medical Officer of the Government Primary Health Centre in Vadakarai Kilpidagai block had sent a report to the Deputy Director of Health Service of Tenkasi mentioning the omissions and commissions found in the petitioner’s hospital during their inspection. The report also noted that some unqualified persons were providing allopathy treatment to patients. The Special Government Pleader submitted that the petitioner himself was not a qualified doctor and that some qualified doctors used to visit the hospital only for a few days. Even the petitioner had been treating the patients without the necessary qualifications. Upon direction, the petitioner produced his diploma certificate issued by the Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine which claimed that he was an ‘electro homoeopath.’
The court also learned through the Special Government Pleader that officials, even after realising that the petitioner had administered allopathy treatment to patients, were content with just imposing a fine, and allowed the petitioner and others to continue the practice. “Some persons, by calling themselves medical practitioners with the help of diploma certificates issued under various other Indian Systems of Medicine, practising the allopathy system of medicine is a serious issue and such pseudo doctors are playing with the lives of innocent people, who were coming to them believing that they are genuine doctors,” the court said. The court while dismissing his petition directed the respondents to ascertain whether the persons working in the nursing home are qualified to practice allopathy, and if not, initiate appropriate action.
