Srinagar, May 7: In violation of the Supreme Court ruling, the State Dental Council (SDC) has failed to register private dental clinics in Kashmir for past five years, facilitating mushrooming of quacks and putting lives of patients at risk.   
 According to the Apex Court ruling, a person practicing any system of medicine must be registered with the concerned implementing authority failing which he or she will be punished with imprisonment and fine.
 The Indian Dental Association (Kashmir Chapter), a registered body of Valley dentists claims that they had applied for the registration of dental clinics with SDC for past five years.
 “We completed all the requisite formalities, but the SDC has been causing inordinate delay in registration of our clinics without assigning any reasons,” said a group of dental surgeons wishing anonymity.
 They claimed that this has led to mushrooming of quacks who have even opened dental clinics particularly in the Srinagar City. Pertinently, quackery is a non-bailable criminal offence under section 420 of IPC with seven years of imprisonment
 “By registering the dental clinics, the authorities can expose the quacks and save money and lives of patients. The SDC has failed in its job to register the dental clinics and check quackery. The Health Department or the Government Medical College should take measures to take action against the quacks,” they said. .
 The Registrar and Secretary SDC Dr B Ahmad said the registration process would be initiated soon. “The delay was caused as the Government didn’t relieve the doctors for inspecting the clinics .The inspection process has been completed in Jammu division and it will commence in the Valley in 2-3 days,” he said.
 The Minister of Health and Family welfare Sham Lal Sharma however contradicted the SDC saying the dental clinics have not been inspected in Jammu division. “There has not been any inspection or registration of dental clinics in Jammu. Actually, rules for dental system are yet to be framed. It will take us a month to frame the rules following which registration will take place,” Sharma said.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 May 2011 00:00:00 IST