In a major crackdown on fake doctors in the state, the Suvendu Adhikari government is planning to verify the credentials of medical practitioners across the state. The West Bengal Health Department has decided to launch an extensive verification process to verify the educational qualifications of 1.1 lakh doctors registered with the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) since 1996. The action follows complaints of medical practitioners holding fake degrees, as informed by State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee.
“A large number of fake doctors have been identified in our registration records. We will re-examine the credentials of all such individuals. The 1.1 lakh certificates issued to doctors by various universities will undergo a fresh verification process,” Mukherjee said.
The state government has also launched a “Know Your Doctor” (KYD) drive on the lines of KYC (know your customer). This will include both manual and video-based verification of medical practitioners, in which all relevant documentation will be collected.
Medical practitioners will have the option of either presenting their documents in person or through virtual sessions via video conferencing. The video conferencing facility has been provided keeping in mind the convenience of doctors who are senior citizens, have a medical condition or are living far away. The government will reportedly hire a private agency to carry out the verification process.
“For those who are elderly or live at a distance and are unable to travel, verification will be conducted via video conferencing. The entire process will be verified by a third-party agency. An official notification will be issued shortly,” the minister added. During the verification process, the record of the medical practitioners in the state will be updated. This will involve removing the names of deceased practitioners, doctors residing abroad and those who no longer practise medicine will be permanently removed from the council’s rolls.
The development comes amid allegations of irregularities involving medical registration certificates and complaints lodged with the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate against the president, vice-president, former registrar, a legislator-member and some officials of the council. Sharadwat Mukherjee said that the decision to conduct the verification process was taken in a meeting with the medical council, held after the allegations.
The minister assured that the existing registrations of medical practitioners will remain valid until fresh guidelines are issued by the government.
