More than half of the allopathic doctors in India lack medical qualification

More than half of the allopathic doctors in India lack medical qualification
IMA urges people to beware of quacks and have faith in qualified doctors

New Delhi, 18 December 2017: As per a study published by the WHO, only 58.4% of doctors have a medical qualification in urban India. The condition is worse in rural areas with only 18.8% having a proper medical qualification. India has lakhs of quacks and about 60,000 work out of Delhi alone. Additionally, the study also indicates that 57.3% allopathic doctors do not have a medical qualification and another 31.4% are educated only up to the secondary school level.

A quack or charlatan, as defined by the Supreme Court in 1996,is anyone practicing modern medicine without proper training in the discipline. The large number of quacks in both the rural and urban areas of India are a threat to the people and society at large. What exacerbates the situation is that if anything goes wrong, only few have the resources to file a complaint against them. Many just accept it as fate, particularly in the rural areas.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said, “In many parts of India, the sick are first taken to the ‘so-called’ faith healers offering treatment in the garb of doctors, before they are brought in to a hospital for actual treatment. It is a settled law that quacks are untrained and cannot diagnose or treat routine and emergency situations. They will invariably miss diagnosis of acute heart attack, paralysis, meningitis, early cancer, early rheumatoid arthritis, appendicitis, acute abdomen, acute pregnancy situations, dissection of aorta, pulmonary embolism etc. leading to a high mortality and morbidity. Their modus operandi is based on referral practice to corporate set ups with a desire of getting commissions.”

The IMA has taken a strong stand against quackery. This was also one of the issues raised by the association in a movement called Dilli Chalo conducted in June this year.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, “It takes over a decade for a modern medicine doctor to acquire sufficient knowledge to decide which antibiotic should be prescribed in a certain situation and which should be avoided. It’s not mathematics. One cannot learn medicine via Google or following the prescriptions of modern medicine doctors. Every case is different; hence, we say individualize treatment according to that particular patient. Most preventable deaths can be traced to ignoring warning signals or self-prescriptions or relying on medicines by quacks or chemists.”

IMA urges one and all to beware of quacks as they indulge in cuts and commissions, will never refer the patient in time, invariably give steroids in every case, and will over investigate the patient to appear genuine. On the other hand, people should have faith in registered and qualified doctors as they do not indulge in unethical practices, do not take or give commissions, work with the primary aim and dharma of healing and not financial gain, believe in Karma and not Kriya, and will always guide patients with the best of interest.

IMA calls for immediate cancellation of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

IMA calls for immediate cancellation of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon

New Delhi, 03 November 2017: Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for the immediate cancellation of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon to be held at 7.00 a.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2017 in view of the alarmingly high levels of air pollution in the capital.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi has constantly ranged from ‘very unhealthy’ to ‘hazardous’ levels since the last few days with AQI crossing the 300 ‘danger’ mark at many places.

In a joint statement, Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal, National President IMA & President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon Honorary Secretary General IMA, said, “Delhi has been experiencing high air pollution levels these past days. The air quality is particularly poor in the early morning when pollution is extremely high. This is also the time when the proposed Half Marathon is scheduled to start. Air pollution not only affects the performance of the runner, the dangerously high pollution levels may have disastrous health consequences, even for the healthy participants, including the volunteers involved in the organization of the event.

“There is scientific evidence to show that poor air quality can aggravate asthma or other existing lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). High PM2.5 levels can increase BP and can also increase the risk of acute cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke. Also, patients of heart disease are at a risk of sudden cardiac death. Hence, we demand that the event be cancelled immediately and postponed to a later date when air pollution levels are better. IMA will be writing to Hon’ble Delhi Chief Minister, Chief Justice Delhi High Court and the Chairperson, National Green Tribunal in this regard.”

Dr Aggarwal further added, “The organizers of such events while deciding the dates of the event should take into consideration the air quality at the time of the marathon so that no runner suffers any adverse health effects on account of exposure to hazardous levels of air pollution.

There have been instances from around the world, from USA, Malaysia, Singapore (1-5) when marathons and other sports events have been cancelled due to poor air quality. If the AQI is above 100, it is prudent for race administrators to warn participants and volunteers, particularly those with lung conditions, about the potential risk.”