Kochi: The High Court has instructed that the qualification of doctors should be verified before appointing them in the government sector. The court opined that guidelines are necessary to check the qualification and credentials of doctors in institutions they studied or worked.  

Instructions have also been issued to verify the educational records of all existing government doctors if need be. The government has been directed to convey its stance in this regard. The order passed by Justice P.V Kunhikrishnan maintained that this is in no way aimed at demoralizing doctors but is a means to ensure incompetencies in the case of public health.

This order came in response to the 2019 petition against the Kollam-Karunagappally Taluk hospital gynecologist Dr Seema, alleging that her negligence has caused the death of an unborn child. The crime branch has launched an enquiry after her MS degree was found to be fake. A Kollam couple are the petitioners.

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As per Dr Seema’s certificates, she holds a Master of Surgery (MS) degree in gynecology from the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nasik. However, the University response revealed that Dr Seema didn’t even study there. It further stated that the produced certificates are fake and strict action be taken against the defaulter.

The court opined that this is a prima facie serious offense. Government informed that the Karunagappally police have registered a case in this regard. The police chief has been instructed to form a special investigation team on immediate notice and report findings to the court within a month. 

The petitioners learned that the doctor did not have required qualifications in response to an RTI (Right to Information) filed by them. Subsequently, they filed a petition in court demanding a compensatory sum of Rs 20 lakhs and also added that qualification of doctors be verified before appointment to government service.