Hyderabad: The doctors in Telangana have urged the state government to follow in the footsteps of Karnataka and implement colour codes for private medical establishments to tackle the menace of fake medical practitioners. Doctors also stressed that such measures will make the task of cracking down upon quacks easier for inspection committees and also open up opportunities for new MBBS graduates to practise medicine.Dr Srinivas Gundagani, vicechairman, Telangana Medical Council, told TNIE that such a move was essential to curb quackery in the state. He added that the body is “discussing similar colour codes and will be giving a representation to the government soon”.
According to a recent directive by the Karnataka government, private hospitals will have to display boards in front of their establishments in colour codes: blue for allopathy doctors and green for ayurveda practitioners. The display boards must also show the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (KPME) registration number, name of the institution and owner, and other details, thus enabling patients to verify the credentials of the medical practitioner. Dr Gundagani urged the government to implement similar guidelines so that people know who is a certified medical practitioner. “This is all the more essential in rural settings where people are easily deceived by fake doctors who put patients at grave risk. Colour codes will help patients identify the qualified doctors,” he added.
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Dr Pratibha Lakshmi, associate professor, Gandhi Medical College and a member of the Telangana Medical Council told TNIE, “As of now there are approximately 50,000 quacks in the state and as many as 15,000 in Hyderabad itself. If the government implements such a colour code system, controlling quackery will be easier. Moreover, we will have thousands of medical graduates from government medical colleges in the state, who will also get an opportunity of employment, if we shut down the fake doctors.”
