MMC opens door to patient parties' grievances
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 25 2014: While welcoming complaints from patients and their parties against unethical practices and wrongdoings of medical practitioners, the Manipur Medical Council (MMC) has appealed to all medical practitioners of the State to register themselves with the council within a year.

Briefing media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, MMC Director Dr Kar- am Lokendro said that the MMC was approved by the President of India on May 5, 2012 after the Manipur Medical Council Act was enacted in 2009 .

Manipur Medical Council rules were framed in 2013 after which the Registrar was appointed on May 12 this year.

Ensuring registration of all medical practitioners and compliance with professional ethics by all medical practitioners are two fundamental functions of the MMC.

The MMC would also listen to all complaints of grievances lodged by patients and their parties, and investigate accordingly.

Already there have been some cases of investigation and initiation of disciplinary action for laxity on the part of medical practitioners or prescription of faulty course of treatment, said Dr Lokendro.

MMC has eight well defined functions and four committees have been constituted to carry out all the functions effectively.

The four committees are medical ethics committee, prevention of quackery com- mittee, public relation committee and scientific committee.

Although the Manipur Medical Council Act clearly laid down that all medical practitioners of the State should register themselves with MMC, a vast majority of the medical practitioners are yet to be registered.

Conveying that a notification was issued on November 17 directing all medical practitioners to register themselves with MMC within a year, Dr Lokendro said that due action would be initiated against medical practitioners who fail to register themselves within the stipulated period.

Noting that quarrels and confrontations between patients, their families and medical practitioners take place every now and then in the State, Dr Lokendro said that destruction of hospital properties, resorting to violence and placing dead bodies at the residences of attending doctors after something went wrong were demoralizing to many medical practitioners.

This does not mean doctors did not commit any mistake.

Rather than resorting to violence after something goes wrong in the course of diagnosis or treatment of a patient, patient parties may lodge complaints with the MMC.

After receiving the complaint, the MMC's relevant committee would investigate the matter.

If the medical practitioner is found guilty, nece- ssary action would be initiated against him/her.

On being enquired about doctors practising privately despite getting non-practising allowance, ethics committee chairman Dr W Motilal said that MMC is still very young and all efforts are being put in to make it a matured one.

Nonetheless, MMC would look into the matter of doctors practising privately despite getting non-practising allowance, Dr Motilal said.

MMC president Dr Sinam Rajendra and executive member Dr Th Dhaballi were also present at the press meet.

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