In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Delhi High Court reportedly sent notices to the Delhi Government, the Center, and the Delhi Medical Council on 8th Dec’23. According to media reports, the PIL requests that the authorities carry out a comprehensive and expeditious verification of the medical qualifications and educational certificates of all practitioners throughout Delhi’s National Capital Territory (NCT).
“Some process of verification must be initiated,” the bench, which consists of Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna, instructed the Medical Council to guarantee a physical presence at the ground level. Whether or not the person holds the degree must be known to the general public.”
The PIL allegedly draws attention to the unbridled growth of quack medicine in Delhi, taking advantage of the inadequate regulation and jeopardizing the credibility of the State Medical Council. According to the allegations, patients’ lives are put in jeopardy by dishonest practitioners who lack valid medical qualifications.
Recent reports exposing a fake doctors’ scam at a nursing home in Delhi’s Greater Kailash area have made court intervention imperative. Four people were taken into custody in relation to the deaths of two patients who had surgeries at the clinic as a result of the fraudulent activities. Remarkably, multiple people died as a result of technicians posing as doctors.
The petition, which is on behalf of five people—among them a disabled 6-year-old—calls for the creation of a High Powered Committee in addition to a time-bound verification process. The report also stated that the committee, which would oversee the re-verification of doctors and ensure fairness, ethics, and transparency, would be composed of independent members and retired judges.
In addition, the plea demands that organizations such as the CBI conduct an impartial inquiry into the operations of the Delhi Medical Council. This is in reaction to the petition’s allegations of malpractice, which include shielding unqualified doctors and granting fictitious registrations.
Advocates Sachin Jain, Ajay Kumar Aggarwal, and Sukrit Seth filed the PIL, which highlights the urgent need for accountability and transparency in the healthcare system and heightens public concern over medical malpractice.
