Suspecting it to be a case of kidney stones, we rushed her to a famous hospital in Porvorim. A physician checked her, administered her pain killers and sedated her. Later we learned that this Resident Medical Officer was a homeopath. The concerned qualified consultant was not on call till 11 am. We shifted the patient to another hospital.
A few days back my sister took a tumble at five in the evening and hurt her back. We rushed her to a hospital in Margao, which is famous for having a list of famed consultants on call. A man with a stethoscope attended to her and prescribed radiography. Sadly, there was no one to interpret the film. When questioned, I was told by the nurse that the “man with the stethoscope” was the medical officer and was quick to add that he was not a homeopath (how could I find out, anyway?).
I am perplexed. How are homeopaths practicing in allopathic hospitals? To the best of my knowledge, alternative medicine practitioners are banned from practicing in allopathic hospitals, by the health ministry and the order of the Indian Medical Association, at the start of this year. Then how come? I decided to thrash this issue with a doctor friend. Expecting him to deny such activities within his fraternity, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that these nefarious practices are going on in full swing in many so called “prestigious” hospitals and clinics in Goa as elsewhere, right under the nose of the authorities. He confided that many allopathic hospitals in Goa had homeopaths and Ayurvedic doctors on their rolls, replacing allopathic doctors.
A shiver shot up my spine on learning that there are cases of mistakes committed by such doctors, piled up before Consumer Redressal cells. I learnt that at least four homeopaths are available for the price of one MBBS doctor, hence the cheaper recruitment at hospitals left, right and centre. The Oxford dictionary defines ‘quacks’ as people practicing a stream of medicine that they are not qualified in. Isn’t this quackery of the highest order?
I have nothing against any form of medics. But the rule of law should be enforced. If the law bans this practice, compliance should be enforced with an iron hand. Taking full advantage of the anxiety of the people admitting their beloved patients and wanting prompt attention, it is completely unethical and unprofessional on the part of the hospital authorities to dishonestly and clandestinely fool the gullible public. On the other hand, if I am wrong and homeopaths are officially allowed to replace allopaths, the names and qualifications of these doctors should be prominently displayed in all hospitals. The general public will then take the call on whether to admit their patients in these hospitals.
Can we expect the Health Ministry, Indian Medical Association and the compliance authorities (who are obviously aware of what is happening all around them) to sit up and take notice of the lives of patients’ that are at stake? Or is this a well oiled cozy club where “you scratch my back, I scratch yours”.
