In a bid to bring informal clinics operating across the state into the formal healthcare net, the Punjab has directed all civil surgeons to prepare a comprehensive list of unregistered medical practitioners for state-run medical training, triggering sharp reactions from experts who warn the move risks legitimising quackery.
The initiative comes at a time when Punjab is grappling with a persistent shortage of qualified doctors. With hundreds of posts remaining vacant in rural community health centres (CHCs) and primary healthcare facilities, a vast majority of the rural population depend on informal practitioners for first-contact care. The exercise is aimed at quantifying and regulating this informal safety net, said officials, who peg the number of unregistered medical practitioners operating in the state at least one lakh.
“Regulation is the core objective. We will collect the data and provide them training according to their qualifications,” said state health minister Dr Balbir Singh. “The government would first provide training to such practitioners, and those who complete it would be allowed to provide basic healthcare services or practise within a proposed framework.”
District health authorities have been instructed to collect detailed profiles of these practitioners, including their educational backgrounds, clinical experience, and operational history. URMPs must also submit a self-declaration proforma attested by their local sarpanch or municipal councillor, confirming their willingness to undergo state-run training.
{{/usCountry}}District health authorities have been instructed to collect detailed profiles of these practitioners, including their educational backgrounds, clinical experience, and operational history. URMPs must also submit a self-declaration proforma attested by their local sarpanch or municipal councillor, confirming their willingness to undergo state-run training.
{{/usCountry}}The health department has issued two reminders to civil surgeons to expedite the data collection, signaling the administration’s intent to formalise the policy framework quickly.
A senior health official stated that the department will soon approach the Punjab medical education and research department to draft tailored training modules once candidate have submitted their details.
Move could prove disastrous: Experts
The move has drawn criticism from senior medical professionals and public health experts. Former civil surgeon Dr Daler Singh Multani warned that the decision could prove disastrous for the state’s healthcare standards.
“These are quacks, and the government will promote quackery by registering them and allowing them to practise,” Dr Multani said. “They have contributed to maternal deaths, the spread of Hepatitis C and HIV, and female foeticide. Medical science is a highly intellectual profession, and you cannot allow someone to practise based on a few months of training.”
The health minister, however, maintained that unregistered medical practitioners will strictly operate within boundaries defined by their qualifications, with the state maintaining oversight over permitted procedures.