Doctors Fear RMP Abbreviation Ambiguity and Legal Consequences
Hyderabad: In a perplexing legal scenario, the interpretation of the abbreviation 'RMP' has sparked debates and concerns among medical professionals and legal experts across the state. The crux of the issue lies in the discrepancy between the legal definition and its practical application.
"As per law, RMP stands for registered medical practitioner, denoting qualified doctors who have completed their MBBS and are duly registered with the medical council. However, in rural areas, RMP is commonly used to refer to rural medical practitioners, encompassing trained compounders or technicians who lack formal medical qualifications," explained Dr Srinivas Gundagani, member of the Telangana State Medical Commission (TSMC). He added that despite its usage, rural medical practitioner has never been a recognised term.
"In fact, back in 2017, we protested against GO No. 428, which proposed regularisation of RMPs and PMPs, as many of the rural practitioners were prescribing 'scheduled' medicines and claiming to be doctors, conducting abortions and other such dangerous surgeries without any degree," he said.
Last year, Healthcare Reform Doctors Association (HRDA) sent a letter to the speaker of the state Legislative Assembly seeking removal of the term 'gramina vaidhyulu' (rural doctor), from the Assembly records and urged them to avoid using the term 'doctors' when referring to unregistered or 'fake' medical practitioners.
According to TSMC, such terms tend to mislead the unversed to believe that such practitioners are qualified doctors, who can practice allopathy.
This semantic confusion has significant repercussions, particularly in medico-legal cases where doctors claim to be prosecuted under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged negligence leading to death. Section 304A deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to two years.
"Furthermore, the proposed BNS draft bill has introduced additional complexity with Section 106(1), causing further divergence from existing legal frameworks. The amended section specifies that registered medical practitioners (RMPs) shall face imprisonment of up to two years and fines, while others may face up to five years' imprisonment for similar offences," Dr Venkat Yadav, a TSMC representative, told Deccan Chronicle.
Experts argued that the ambiguity surrounding RMP's interpretation not only hampers legal proceedings but also instills fear and uncertainty among doctors, impeding their ability to provide timely and critical medical care.
Doctors stressed the urgency for clear definitions and guidelines to avoid miscarriages of justice and ensure the smooth functioning of the healthcare system. They called upon the government to bring about amendments to relevant laws and regulations.