SHRC Directs Medical Council Registrar to Take Action Against Quack
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has directed the Medical Council Registrar to initiate criminal proceedings against a quack accused of practising medicine without a valid medical degree.
SHRC Chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas ordered the registrar to take action under the Kerala Medical Practitioners Act, 2021 and questioned why the 2021 directive to prosecute the accused, identified as Robin Gurusingh, under Sections 42 and 43 of the Act, was not enforced.
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Criticizing the registrar for not taking action earlier, the commission has now asked for a detailed explanation from the registrar within a month and instructed that criminal action be launched against the accused under Sections 40, 41, 42, and 43 of the Act.
The case came to light following a complaint by Sreekumar, who reported that the accused was falsely claiming to be a doctor and had put up an advertisement board at Chackai in the state capital. An investigation by the Medical Council revealed that Gurusingh was not registered as a medical practitioner in either Kerala or Tamil Nadu, reports TOI.
Following this, the registrar informed SHRC that the advertisement board was removed based on instructions given to the district police chief to take legal action against the individual. However, the complainant informed the commission that the accused continued to engage in fraudulent medical practice and even published an advertisement in an English daily, promoting himself as a spine specialist.
Medical Dialogues team had previously reported that the Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) took legal action against 12 individuals for illegally practising medicine. Of these, eight practised in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas, while the remaining four were located in various districts. The illegal practitioners were found in Vanasthalipuram, Dundigal, Bachupally, Sangareddy, and Banswada.
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