RAIDS TO CATCH 30,000 QUACKS
EVERY DOCTOR IS LEGALLY BOUND TO DISPLAY PROMINENTLY HIS OR HER SLMC REGISTRATION NUMBER AND QUALIFICATIONS
Island wide raids would be conducted from January 2018 by the officials of the Health and Indigenous Medicine Ministry backed by Police to nab 30,000 quacks in the country, Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.
“The quacks have become a menace and contribute to healthrelated mishaps with pseudomedical practitioners on the rise,” Minister Senaratne said.
“All qualified doctors, who are engaged in private practice, must ensure to get their registration at the Private Health Services Regulatory Council (PMSRC) to prevent any inconvenience, when officials visit private medical centers and clinics,” he said.
“We have information that nearly 30,000 individuals without any medical qualification are practicing medicine, masquerading as doctors. Statistics indicate that there are about 30,000 such persons and many of them practise in rural areas. We are also aware that a large number of illegal abortions are performed by those quacks putting the life of women at risk.a majority of abortion- related deaths are taking place after an abortion performed by a quack,” he said.
He said public cooperation was extremely important to apprehend quacks as those impersonators could not practice as qualified doctors if the public try to identify them and complained to the PMSRC.
“Identifying a quack is not difficult. Each and every doctor engaged in private practice is legally bound to display prominently his or her Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) registration number and qualifications (medical degrees).
“If someone engaged in medical practice does not display this essential information, he or she must be most probably a quack,” Minister Senaratne said.
“Besides, if there is any doubt, a patient has the right to ask a doctor about his or her registration number and medical qualifications,” he said.
“Don’t seek medical help from a quack because the patient is at risk wrong diagnosis, wrong medicine, or wrong medical advice,” he said.