Govt trashes WHO report that 57 per cent Indian doctors not qualified

New Delhi: The government on Friday termed as "erroneous" a World Health organisation (WHO) report which claimed that 57 per cent of allopathic doctors in  India do not have medical qualification.

"The report is erroneous since MBBS is the minimum qualification for enrolment as registered medical practitioner in a state medical register to practice medicine, and hence all registered doctors have medical qualifications," Union Minister JP Nadda told the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question.

He further said Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 prohibits a person other than medical practitioner enrolled on a state medical register to practice in the state.

Since health is a state subject, the primary responsibility to deal with cases of quacks (fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill) lies with respective state governments, he said.

Keeping in view the above, the Central government has requested the chief ministers of all states to take appropriate action against quacks and evolve suitable policies to ensure availability of quality health workforce in rural areas, he said.

A WHO report released in 2016, had claimed that 31 per cent of those who claimed to be allopathic doctors in 2001 were educated only up to the secondary school level and 57 per cent did not have any medical qualification.

The study also highlighted that just 18.8 per cent of allopathic doctors in rural India had medical qualification.