The increasing number of quacks, or unlicensed medical professionals, in the state has caused the Gujarat State Branch of the Indian Medical Association (GSB-IMA) to express grave concerns. These people seriously endanger public health by practicing medicine without the necessary training. The group has urged the government to take swift and severe action against these unlawful practitioners in a letter addressed to Gujarat’s Commissioner of Health, Medical Services, and Medical Education, Harshad kumar Ratilal Patel.
According to the GSB-IMA, quackery puts public health at risk by misdiagnosing, mistreating, and abusing drugs, all of which can result in serious complications, lifelong impairments, or even death. The group cautions that if quackery is allowed to proliferate uncontrolled, medical facilities may become overloaded with avoidable medical emergencies, which would undermine public confidence in the healthcare system. The government must act swiftly to safeguard citizens from these threats, according to the GSB-IMA, which is calling for immediate action.
Quackery is becoming more and more common in India, where frequent raids have found many unlicensed practitioners. Ten fraudulent doctors and two Ayurvedic practitioners were found to be unlawfully providing allopathic medicines as a result of recent inspections by the Telangana Medical Council. These unlicensed professionals, such as those who advise pregnant women to take large doses of steroids and antibiotics, serve as a reminder of the serious dangers of quackery.
Concerns have been heightened by a contentious plan being considered in Gujarat, in addition to the growing number of quacks. On January 3, the state’s health department will hold a conference to debate a proposal that would let Ayurvedic practitioners to practice allopathy following “adequate study.” Medical experts, notably the IMA, have strongly opposed the initiative, claiming that “mixopathy”—the practice of combining multiple medical specialties—is detrimental. According to the IMA, such methods not only compromise the integrity of contemporary allopathic medicine but also disregard Ayurvedic traditional knowledge.
The “mixopathy” plan follows court decisions in other jurisdictions that have ruled against the practice, upholding the prohibition against specialists in one medical specialty practicing in another. The IMA is concerned that these actions would jeopardies patient safety and the state’s healthcare system even further. In order to protect the public’s health, they thus nevertheless support the rigorous regulation of medical practice and the outlawing of quackery.
SOURCE :
MEDICAL DIALOGUES
