Maharashtra Medical Council to launch an app to combat fake doctors in state
Dr Rughwani highlighted the uniqueness of the app, stating, “It will be a unique app in the country, and no council has attempted this before. With the widespread use of smartphones, even in rural areas, we aim to empower patients with information on their doctors
Mumbai: In response to the growing concern about unqualified practitioners in the medical field, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) is developing a mobile application to verify the credentials of registered medical practitioners in Maharashtra. The app, named “Know Your Doctor,” will provide easy access to crucial information about their healthcare providers.
Dr Vinky Rughwani, Administrator of MMC, emphasised the need for such a tool, stating, “There have been several news reports on bogus doctors, and it is a major challenge. The app will help patients verify if the doctor they are visiting is qualified, their degrees, and their MMC registration number.”
MMC, a quasi-judicial body responsible for regulating medical education and ethics in the state, oversees approximately 1.8 lakh registered doctors, with around 9,000 new registrations annually.
Dr Rughwani highlighted the uniqueness of the app, stating, “It will be a unique app in the country, and no council has attempted this before. With the widespread use of smartphones, even in rural areas, we aim to empower patients with information on their doctors.”
While the MMC cannot directly take action against fraudulent practitioners, Dr Rughwani said through the app, the council will give recognition to the registered practitioners and would guide patients to ensure they do not seek treatment from unregistered or unqualified individuals. “We are in the process of streamlining the standard operating procedure for registered doctors,” he added.
Dr Rughwani, who took over as MMC’s administrator two weeks back, said while they are fast-tracking the work on getting the app, the council will also be clearing 692 pending complaints that also include medical negligence cases.
“Most of the cases are of medical negligence. We have decided to get help from medical experts from the respective fields. For example, if the complaint is related to gynaecology, we will take the gynaecologist’s help to review the complaint and hearing. We plan to hold a hearing every week to finish the backlog,” he said.
At present, MMC’s work is being managed by the administrator in the absence of the 18-member committee. The 18-member committee of MMC was dissolved after its term expired on August 7, 2022, after which Dr Pallvi Saple, dean of Sir JJ Group of Hospitals was appointed as an administrator for a period of one year.
After Dr Saple’s term expired on October 9, 2023, the additional charge was given to Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, the director of, the the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
The gazette notification said while it will take some time to conduct MMC elections, the government has decided to appoint Dr Rughwani, a former vice president of MMC as the new administrator to exercise all the powers and perform all the duties of the council for the next one year or till the time MMC elections are held.