The Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) has ordered medical doctors who have studied medicine abroad, technically known as Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs), not to use titles such as ‘MD’, ‘MS’, or ‘Physician’ in their documents, stationery, clinic boards, or nameplates. Instead, they are to write ‘MBBS’. The council has warned foreign medical graduates that if they are found using these titles, their licenses will be suspended.
In its order dated October 21, the council stated that foreign medical graduates using ‘MD’ or ‘Physician’ on their stationery, nameplates, visiting cards, signboards, and receipts would be misleading and a violation of the GMC rules.
Also Read: Prostate enlargement: Know the symptoms and treatment
The council stated that if such foreign medical graduates are qualified and eligible to use these titles, they must obtain a license from the GMC.
Several foreign-returned doctors have been found to be using ‘MD’ against their name, though studying only MBBS in those countries. This misguides Indian citizens, who think these medical graduates as MDs. GMC has tried to end this confusion by issuing the dictum. Earlier also it has warned such foreign-returned doctors repeatedly against such practice.
If some of the doctors (Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGS) who have passed MBBS outside India, who, despite having a degree equivalent to the MBBS qualification of the country, are misleading the public by writing that they are MD, “PHYSICIAN” or Doctor of Medicine qualification holders, then all such Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) will have to take action against them in accordance with the rules.
All allopathic doctors will have to mandatorily display the license number issued to them by the Gujarat Medical Council on their prescription, letter pad/ rubber stamp, access to fees, medical certificate, etc. It is mandatory to take registration/ license of Gujarat Medical Council to practice in Gujarat even if there is registration/ license of another state or MCI / NMC, the GMC order states.
