Bengal plans 'SIR-style' drive to weed out fake doctors from medical rolls

In a major crackdown on fake medical practitioners, the West Bengal Health Department has decided to launch an extensive, "SIR-style" document verification drive covering all 1,10,000 doctors registered with the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC).West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee announced that the credential verification process would follow the State Inspection and Revalidation (SIR) model. Under the initiative, educational degrees and accreditation certificates issued by universities will undergo thorough revalidation, along with a "Know Your Doctor" (KYD) verification process.The drive will cover all medical practitioners registered with the council from 1996 onwards. Reassuring the medical community, the minister said genuine doctors would not face any harassment or inconvenience.Doctors will be able to verify their credentials through either of two modes: by presenting their documents in person or by attending virtual sessions through video conferencing. The latter facility is aimed at assisting senior citizens, ailing doctors and those living far away. The government intends to engage a private agency to carry out the verification process. The names of deceased practitioners, doctors residing abroad and those who no longer practise medicine will be permanently removed from the council's rolls.Addressing confusion over validity-period clauses printed on existing registration certificates, the health minister clarified that all current registrations would remain valid until new official guidelines are issued. The initiative aims to bring greater transparency to the state's healthcare system and ensure that unregistered or fraudulent individuals are prevented from practising medicine.- Ends