May 23 2017 : The Times of India (Chennai)

Theni doctor `rents out' letterhead, name to quack 

for Rs 25,000|month

Pushpa Narayan

Chennai:





At least half a dozen doctors have been lending their name boards and prescription pads to quacks for a monthly fee of `25,000 to `50,000, officials of the directorate of medical and rural health services have found.

On Monday , officials from the directorate lodged a police complaint against a Thenibased registered medical practitioner Dr Veeranan Kannan (registration number 58873) for lending his name board and prescription to a quack named Vinodh Joy . A complaint from joint director Dr S Amudhini sent to Theni superintendent of police said that Joy, who imper sonated Dr Kannan, runs a clinic and a pharmacy in Davaram in Theni district. He incited people to protest and prevent his arrest after a raid.

“We caught him red-handed prescribing medicines on Dr Kannan's prescription pad. But several people from the neighbourhood surrounded us and prevented us from arresting him and seizing drugs from him. During inquiry , Joy said he paid the doctor `25,000 every month. Dr Kannan, on the other hand, told us he visits the clinic once every week,“ said joint director Dr Gurunathan, officer on special duty, who was part of the Theni raid.

A Supreme Court ruling in 1996 defines anyone practising modern medicine without training in the discipline, even if he is trained in alternative systems of medicine such as siddha and ayurveda, as a quack. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 stipulates only those registered with the Medical Council of India can practice medicine.

Last week, officials found two Chennai-based Indian medicine practitioners writing down allopathic medicines on a gynaecologist's prescription . Last week, a team of offi cials found Chennai based Indian medicine practitioners -Mohammad Ibrahim, 45, who has a bachelor's in Unani medicine, and Sindhu Manoharan, a Siddha practitioner -writing down allopathic medicines on prescription pads of a senior gynaecologist.

A senior official said, “The allopathic doctors are well known in the area. We are unable to reveal their names as the case is under investigation.We have information about at least three more doctors who have been helping quacks. We will be sending their names to the medical council for disciplinary action, including suspension.“

The Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) estimates there are around 50,000 quacks in the state, most of them in rural areas. In the past year, the directorate arrested more than 100 quacks in TN . There was a proposal to book them for attempt to murder. But most of them are now free, some have resumed practice, say officials.

In the absence of an antiquackery law in the state, fake practitioners get away with a fine of `1,000. After poring over legislation to ensure quacks are booked under more serious sections of the Indian Penal Code, the health department has now posted a law officer for dealing with court cases.

The state medical council, which has to initiate action against doctors, has been dysfunctional for more than nine months. “We are unable to take disciplinary action even against doctors who are guilty because it must be ratified by at least seven members of the governing council. We don't have the quorum,“ said TN Medical Council president Dr K Senthil.