Will initiate action against errant doctors even before filing of criminal charges.
The state’s medical council has just got stricter with doctors found guilty of conducting sex-selection tests. The council will now act on its own against such doctors caught in sting operations – unlike in the past when it waited for the police to frame charges against the doctor.
The Maharashtra Medical Council is the apex governing body which has powers to suspend the licence of any doctor found guilty of malpractice. No allopathy doctor can practise without this licence.
In a first, four doctors from mofussil pockets of the state, who were allegedly caught in sting operations while conducting sex-selection tests, were summoned to the medical council’s office earlier this week to present their side of the story. While two of the doctors are from Nanded district, one each is from Aurangbad and Chandrapur district.
The reason the council has taken this step is to speed up trial of such doctors. It does not want to wait for completion of other formalities as the police and government officials take a long time to frame charges.
A member of Maharashtra Medical Council, Dr Shivkumar Utture, said this is a “major decision” to act against errant doctors. “This is being done to speed up the trial. In the case of the four doctors who were called this week, we might take a decision at the next hearing. This could possibly happen next month.”
He said that the state medical council has taken action against 35 doctors over the last 18 months for violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act.
About a year-and-half ago, a number of cases of abandoned female foetuses had been reported from Beed district. The police had arrested Dr Sudam Munde for allegedly carrying out illegal abortions at his clinic. The matter came to light when a woman died during an abortion. Following this, the state health department launched a drive during which several doctors had been arrested for conducting illegal abortions.
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