
New Delhi: Flagging that many health facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, were employing unqualified or underqualified medical staff to deal with patients, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) Saturday asked the managements of such establishments to verify the credentials of their employees.
The Council’s notice comes in the wake of action by the Delhi Police against 22 persons, including a doctor employed at a prominent private medical facility and Bangladeshi nationals, for their alleged involvement in the operation of a kidney racket.
“It has come to the notice of the Delhi Medical Council that many hospitals, nursing homes and other clinical establishments using modern medical sciences (allopathy) are employing doctors/medical staff who are either unqualified/underqualified or qualified in other branches for the treatment of patients,” the public notice, issued by DMC president Dr Arun Gupta and Registrar Dr Girish Tyagi, read.
“This is against the law and a punishable act. Therefore, it is requested that all hospital owners check the credentials of employees,” the Council stated.
It also advised visiting doctors to “make sure that your patient is under the care of qualified persons only”.
It further added that such doctors would be held responsible for any deficiency of services to their patients.
The council further asked all hospitals, nursing homes and clinical establishments to “check the facilities available with them and admit patients accordingly only”, adding that health facilities must make sure that all regulations required by the law, including fire safety, were complied with.
Six newborn children had died in a blaze at the Baby Care New Born Hospital in East Delhi’s Vivek Vihar on May 26. In addition to not having an NOC from the fire department, the facility was also found unfit on several mandatory counts including structural issues.
It had also employed an Ayurvedic doctor for allopathic procedures.