Another doctor’s day comes by and we still do not have an updated medical registry where one can check the credentials of any doctor in India. After the spate of reports on fake doctors and those practicing without the requisite qualification or training, hospitals are struggling to verify the credentials of those they hire in the absence of a streamlined registry that reflects all the qualifications of a doctor and details of who have been blacklisted or penalised.Almost five years after National Medical Commission (NMC) was constituted, it has managed to verify only a few hundred out of the estimated 13 lakh plus doctors practicing in India. In a bid to get the register updated, the commission put out a notice in Sept last year asking all practising doctors to register again with National Medical Register. Just over 10,400 doctors’ applications were received, of which barely 140 were approved or verified at the beginning of May this year. Though govt claimed that “the speedy and easy registration process on the portal will facilitate the timely updation of the data”, in reality, doctors have been facing several problems with registration.“I registered on the portal on Aug 2024, a day after it was opened. Kerala State medical council approved and confirmed my registration to NMC. Yet, my application has been returned with irrelevant queries four times, which include queries on change in the names of the University and state medical council. They have asked me to file an affidavit regarding the name in Aadhaar card not matching the existing registration, which predates Aadhaar. Even today, my registration is not done,” said Dr KV Babu, an ophthalmologist and an RTI activist whose RTI application revealed how slowly the registration process is happening.“Is there a comprehensive list of doctors who have been blacklisted over the years or those who have been penalised for some wrongdoing? Where can I find such a list? Without that, how do we do a background check on doctors we hire?” asked a doctor responsible for recruitment of doctors for a hospital.Many specialists are surprised by number of doctors without the requisite specialisation practicing a specialty and claiming to be experts. In a recent example, Delhi branch of Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists was unable to verify if a life member of the association was a genuine dermatologist with a valid MBBS degree and specialisation in dermatology. Health minister JP Nadda had claimed that the register would “strengthen the digital healthcare ecosystem” and that there would soon be “a similar register for paramedics and other healthcare professionals”. Yet, health ministry has not been able to provide accurate data in Parliament on how many doctors of modern medicine are currently practising.
