Punjab to form coordination panel of medical councils

Chandigarh, June 18 (UNI) The Punjab Government today announced to constitute a coordination committee comprising the representatives of various medical councils to bring uniformity in their functioning.

The decision in this regard was taken at a high level committee meeting held here under the Chairmanship of Punjab Medical Education and Research Minister Tikshan Sood, with the representatives of various medical councils.

Mr Tikshan Sood said a number of cases had been found wherein doctors were exploiting the patients in connivance with some local laboratories to get huge commissions for prescribing certain tests.

The Minister directed the Punjab Medical Council and Medical Education and Research Department to take strong action against such cases and advised councils to cancel the registration of those doctors who were indulging in such malpractices.

Regarding the advertisements appearing in different newspapers by some doctors, Mr Sood said such advertisements should be banned immediately as these were unethical and violative of the code of conduct under Medical Council Act.

The council should take appropriate action against such advertisements, the Minister added.

The Minister also directed the various councils to start a new system of re-registration of all the registered doctors, nurses and chemists after every five years to aaprise the state government about the revalidation of unemployed doctors and medical personnel in the state.

He further directed the council that respective registration committee of each council should be constituted at district level to compile the list of various unregistered practitioners on monthly basis, so that the state council could be able to take actions against such cases.

The Minister said that to give relief to the herbal practitioners, those who were not using allopathic drugs and working in rural areas with missionary zeal would be enlisted by Punjab Ayurvedic Council to bring them in the main streams.

The representatives of Punjab Medical Council, Board of Ayurvedic and Unani System of Medical, Homoeopathy Council, Punjab Nurses' Council, Dental Council and Pharmaceutical Council participated.

UNI