In a bid to address the question of fake medical practitioners, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is advocating for a comprehensive licensing system and a database for all medical doctors, The Sunday Morning learns.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) recently disclosed that an estimated 40,000 fake doctors were currently practising within various medical systems, including Western, Ayurveda, and homoeopathy.
However, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Sunday Morning that the GMOA had not agreed to bring its licences under a unified system.
According to the Minister, the proposed licensing system aims to curtail the prevalence of unqualified individuals masquerading as medical professionals.
Amid concerns over the proliferation of fake medical practitioners, GMOA Spokesperson Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe has emphasised on the critical role of the Health Ministry in bolstering public safety and preserving the credibility of the healthcare sector.
Highlighting the pressing need for a robust framework to address the issue effectively, Dr. Wijesinghe contended that the absence of a proper regulatory structure had allowed fake practitioners to operate with impunity, posing serious risks to the health and wellbeing of patients.
In light of this, he called upon the Health Ministry to take decisive measures to curb this menace and safeguard the integrity of healthcare services.
Dr. Wijesinghe stressed that the proliferation of fake doctors posed a grave threat to the healthcare landscape, potentially leading to misdiagnosis, ineffective treatments, and compromised patient outcomes.
He further noted that especially in the midst of a severe shortage of medicines, the public would tend to obtain the services of such fake doctors and therefore it was imperative to eradicate such practitioners.
Drawing attention to the severity of the situation regarding fake medical practitioners, he noted that there was a wide margin between the country’s approximately 20,000 registered medical practitioners – which includes 2,600 specialists – and an alarming estimated 40,000 fake doctors.
Emphasising on the gravity of the issue and the urgent need for collective action, Dr. Wijesinghe asserted that the proliferation of fake practitioners presented a ‘massive issue’.
Meanwhile, highlighting the necessity of a united front, the GMOA emphasised on the importance of all stakeholders working collaboratively to combat this growing menace.
However, when asked why the GMOA was not keen on the unified licence and database system proposed by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Wijesinghe declined to comment, adding that the State should first initiate a dialogue with the relevant medical sector stakeholders and streamline the existing system to root out imposters.
Attempts to contact the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) regarding the issue of fake doctors and the proposed regulatory framework failed.