No check on non-local medicos practicing in Kashmir

Mudassir Kuloo

Srinagar, Apr 04: In violation of the rules, there is no check on the non-local doctors practicing in the private hospitals in Kashmir.
As per the rules, it is mandatory for every doctor to obtain the state counsel registration before practicing in the Valley.
The registration is only being issued once the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir verifies the degrees from the Medical Counsel of India and the concerned institutions.
However, nothing such as per the officials is being followed by non-local doctors, who do practice in private hospitals in the Valley, officials said.
“There is no accountability whether the non-local doctors serving in private hospitals are holding genuine degrees,” an official of the Health Department said.
“We don’t know the credentials of the outside medicos serving in private hospitals and clinics. There must be accountability about the degrees,” the official said.
The Health Department has issued directives to private hospitals to provide the details of medicos serving there.
“They only provide the details of local doctors but not the outsiders who come from different parts of the country and treat patients in these hospitals,” the official said.
If there is any negligence on part of non-local doctors, the official said they could be charged with “murder charges” as they practicing “illegally”.
Recently, two local doctors were found having fake degrees after the DHSK conducted their verification.
“One among them is female who claimed of having obtained MBBS degree 15-years-ago from Russia. When the verification was conducted, her degree turned out to be a fake,” the official said. Subsequently, the official said that she was also divorced by her husband for holding fake degree.
Those who go outside for studies shall make proper verification whether the institutions are registered, the official said.
The official believes that if credentials of non-locals are verified, many could turn having fake degrees.
Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Saleem ur Rehman, said the private hospitals were asked several times to submit the list of non-local doctors along with credentials.
“I will ask the Chief Medical Officer to ensure that private hospitals submit the list of all the doctors and check their credentials,” Rehman told The Kashmir Monitor.
There are 42 private hospitals and nursing homes registered with the DHSK. There is also no regulation of rates and patients are being charged as per the will of proprietors of these hospitals. There are also variations in tests in privately run medical labs.
The Director said that a report has also been submitted to the government for regulation of prices in private hospitals.
“The rates are monitored everywhere in the world. The report has been submitted to the government. We hope that government approves uniform rates for all hospitals,” he added.