Whilst Ayushman Bharat has been heralded as a boon for patients below the poverty line who struggle to access healthcare, corruption continues to dog the scheme. To counteract Ayushman Bharat corruption, stringent action will be taken against those found to engage in corrupt practices during their administration of the initiative. Fraud by hospitals has been […]
doctors
Private practice warning for Mumbai doctors and hospitals
Doctors and hospitals could face action if government-employed medicos participate in private practice during the office hours of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). More than eighty percent of doctors and seventy percent of nurses and midwives are employed by the private sector in India. Government doctors should not participate in private practice between the hours […]
Karnataka doctors’ strike withdrawn
The Karnataka doctors’ strike ended at the close of the week with assurances of security in the workplace, putting an end to a week-long agitation by medicos at Minto Hospital and others affiliated with the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI). As with past stirs by doctors in India, the Karnataka doctors’ strike was […]
Could the Bengaluru doctors’ strike go national?
The Bengaluru doctors’ strike over an assault on two of their colleagues could mushroom into a national movement. Allegedly, two resident doctors at Minto Hospital were “manhandled” by members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a pro-Kannada organisation. The dispute originated from a demand for compensation for patients at a camp for the treatment of […]
Tamil Nadu doctors strike ends – for now
The Tamil Nadu doctors strike ended at the end of the week, following a government warning that their posts would be considered vacated if they did not return to work. The Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) called the strike from October 25th, with a series of demands. They included, according to FOGDA convener Dr […]
Uttar Pradesh’s quack doctors in the firing line
In the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, quack doctors are in the firing line as a drive to root them out of practice has been announced. “A campaign against quacks and non-permitted clinics, nursing homes and hospitals will be initiated soon,” explained Agra’s chief medical officer Mukesh Kumar Vats. “A joint team of the health […]
Quack doctors crackdown on Mumbai
Authorities in Mumbai will be cracking down on quack doctors operating in the city, following the arrest of five unqualified practitioners earlier this month. “Bogus doctors are a menace to society and a threat to human life,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok said following the arrests. “In this major crackdown, the police has busted […]
Quackery: An epidemic in India?
Chennai is on alert against quack doctors, whom officials say vex the city every year during its fever season. The news comes as a reminder of the epidemic of quackery in India: unqualified, unlicensed practitioners account for a staggering proportion of the country’s healthcare workforce. In the past decade, an estimated 1,500 quack doctors have […]
IMA raises concerns over Ayushman Bharat
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has spoken out on the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, raising some misgivings about the initiative and suggesting improvements. Perhaps the main criticism was the insurance-based model, with IMA national president Dr Santanu Sen questioning “why should it be done through insurance companies by paying fifteen percent to […]
NMC: Centre begins recruitment efforts
The Centre has commenced recruitment efforts for the National Medical Commission (NMC), its major overhaul of the country’s medical education sector. The chairperson of the NMC is required to be a medical professional with at least twenty years of experience in the field and the power to “inspire, engage and empower the medical workforce”, the […]