Hyderabad: Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) is in the process of creating QR codes to help doctors across the state maintain transparency.
The QR codes are being issued to the doctors by the council at the time of registration. Doctors have been urged to display the QR code at their workplace and even on the prescriptions given to patients.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Dr Naresh Kumar, chairperson of the public relations of the TGMC, said, “There are roughly 50,000 doctors in Telangana. However, till 2024, doctors were not required to update their credentials. Since July 2024, all doctors have been asked to upload their details on the Medical Council’s website.”
Kumar explained that the implementation of QR codes is a work in progress. “The doctors have been advised to update their credentials once in five years. They must upload their photo, signature and qualification details.”
Additional educational certificates must be added
The chairperson further said that in case doctors acquire any certificates or degrees in the future, they must be added to their credentials on the council’s website. So far, data of about 30,000 doctors has been uploaded on the website.
Addressing a query on the benefits of the QR codes, the doctor said, “This will mainly help the patients to verify the qualification of the doctors. It will also prevent quacks from misusing details of the doctors.”
As of now, details such as the doctor’s name, registration number and father’s name have been added to the QR code; the qualification details will be added shortly. “The patients can also verify the qualifications of doctors after scanning the QR code. Some doctors claim to be cardiologists or diabetologists after completing MBBS,” Kumar added.
The doctor further explained that in case the doctors’ certificates are being misused by quacks for medical practice, they could be exposed when the QR code is scanned. Siasat.com accessed a certificate of a doctor and verified the details.
