Srinagar: The proprietors of private hospitals are not following rules in Jammu and Kashmir as they apparently do not submit the list of non-local doctors to the government to check whether they hold genuine degrees.
As per the rules, it is mandatory for every doctor to obtain counsel registration before doing the practice in the state or UT.
The registration is only being issued once the Directorate of Health Services 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 J&K, officials said.
“There is no accountability whether the non-local doctors serving in private hospitals are holding genuine degrees in Kashmir,” a senior 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 from where these doctors have received the degrees,” the senior official of the Health Department told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The official said that Health Department has issued directives to private hospitals several times 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”.
It has been found many times that many doctors pretending doctors were holding fake degrees.
“In 2018, there was a 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.
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 could not be contacted for comments. Once we get the comments from authorities, the story will be updated accordingly.
There are over 40 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. (KINS).