TCMC Re-registration & Sample letter

Sunday, 26 September 2010 03:47

Dear Members,

TCMC re-registration

As directed by the High Court the TCMC is out again demanding Rs. 500 for the high security registration certificate costing less than Rs. 6. Though the case number is shown, they have taken care not to mention QPMPA.

For details of the judgment visit – http://www.qpmpa.org/news-and-events/16-j-u-d-g-e-m-e-n-t-s/53-tcmc-re-registration-2010.html and – http://www.qpmpa.org/images/stories/qpmpa/journal/6_JMS_Feb_2010.pdf to see that shown in their Counter affidavit published in our Feb 2010 issue of the Journal.

It is said that they are acting as directed by the High Court. However, the High Court has not asked them to violate the TCMP Act 1953.

The NOTICE No. E. 2639/10/MC Date: 20-9-2010 by the TCMC is a clear violation of the Act and no-where in the Act, especially in the one quoted – Section 20 (3) & (4) it says that we pay Rs. 500 for updating the Register.  See http://www.medicalcouncil.kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8

Section 20 of the Act is on Duties of the Registrars. His main duty is to keep the Registers in order.

S. 20 (3) says that the Registrar shall keep the registers correct by timely removal of the names of those dead.

S. 20 (4) says that to keep the register updated, the Registrar may write by registered post to the registered practitioners to find out the details and if no reply in six months delete the name from the register. Para 9 of the Counter in page 21 of the QPMPA Journal cited will be interesting.

Should the RMPs be penalised for the irresponsible attitude of the Council all these years. As the first step we can exercise Section 21 (3) of the Act to correct the Council. Should we pay Rs. 500 for a certificate costing less than Rs. 6? The fees permitted for Registration is only Rs. 20 as per the Act. (Section 24.) Then why Rs. 500 for the topnotch certificate with photo. Nowadays everyone is having many photo ID cards and certificates. The cost hardly is less than Rs. 10.

The most irresponsible directive in the Instructions in the Application form is the demand for a self-addressed envelop (30x26 cms).

The Registrar is innocent and it is our colleagues who decided all these on 22.4.2010 to plunder more than 39,000 RMPs in Kerala.  As the details of the Members is blank in the TCMC website, the majority of us do not know who these great ones are. They want to make the TC Medical Council rich and Rs. 500 from 40,000 RMPs will bring in around Rs. 2 crores (200 lakhs) for an investment of less than Rs. 3 lakhs for the certificates.

If they want to make the TCMC rich, they are free to sponsor something produced by Pepsi or others as done by the National IMA! Many of our colleagues still believe that IMA and IMC are the same!

Why should the TCMC issue a certificate the size of 30x26 cms? That can be as small as a PAN, or an ATM card. If a small one, the ID can be with the RMP always and will help him out at many places.

I have the following suggestions to update the Register of Modern Medicine Doctors by TCMC:-

 1. Reduce the fees to Rs. 100/- for the new high security certificate. Accept Postal Orders, cheques or arrange online money transfer. Give the bank Account number of the TCMC and the fees can be transferred without much problem. Proof of fees transfer to be attached with the application for the great certificate.

Note: A photo ID Certificate cannot be a permanent one. It must be updated every 5 or 10 years as the countenance / physiognomy change with aging. Also note that there is nothing that is tamper-proof and this new certificate will not solve quackery as found out by our super brains in the Council.

2. No fees for Senior Citizens (those above 60 years).

3. The safety of the original registration certificate cannot be assured by the TC Medical Council. So demand only an attested copy and on getting the new certificate the RMPs can surrender the old one. No one will be accountable for the loss in transit.

4. No self-addressed envelope. The Council must have their printed envelopes.

My request to QPMPA Members:-

Kindly send the above suggestions to TCMC, the address given below. 

THE TRAVANCORE–COCHIN COUNCIL OF MODERN MEDICINE,
COMBINED COUNCIL BUILDING, RED CROSS  ROAD,
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM – 695035

We can discuss this issue at the SWC to be held on 3 October 2010.

If the TCMC is not to fall in line, we will first approach the Government and then the Hon'ble High Court with a request to remove all those concerned for violating the TCMP Act repeatedly that they are entrusted to enforce, under Section 22 of TCMP Act, 1953.

Note: The Email ID shown in "Contact" page of TCMC site will not work. So send your complaint by India Post. 

Details in http://www.medicalcouncil.kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8

Kishore Kumar

Sample Letter to TCMC

Kindly send a copy to the undersigned for follow-up

The Registrar,
The Travancore-Cochin Council of Modern Medicine,
Combined Council Building, Red Cross Road,
Thiruvananthapuram 695035


Ref:                                    Your Notice No. E.2639/10/MC dated 20.9.2010 —
                                      Available at http://www.medicalcouncil.kerala.gov.in/


Sub:                 Notice under Section 21 (3) — modify Council decision dated 22.4.2010 —
                                        Updating the registers of Modern Medicine Doctors —
                                                     Violation of TCMP Act, 1953 — reg.

Dear Sir,

We understand from your notice cited that as directed by the Kerala High Court, the Council met on 22 April 2010 and decided to bleed the RMPs in Kerala. We fail to understand what prevented you from making your decision public for the last 5 months.

Kindly note that your notice dated 20 September 2010 is for medical practitioners registered with TCMC and that they are all over the world. The last date to apply for the new certificate by the first 15,000 doctors registered with TCMC is 15 October 2010. We note that if we fail to act now we can approach you as per Section 20 (3) & (4).

We understand that the registration numbers from 34515 onwards issued from the Council is valid only for five years. Kindly inform us the relevant section in TCMP Act that you have applied.

The TC Medical Practitioners Act, 1953 is there to regulate the qualifications and provide for the registration of practitioners of modern medicine in Kerala.

The TC Medical Council is constituted as per Section 3 (2) of the Act and all the council members are registered medical practitioners. One among them is the President of the Council. However, the list of members of the Council is not available in our website to make direct contact.

The Registrar of the Council is appointed as per Section 19 and as per Section 20; the main duty of the Registrar is to keep the registers.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that having quoted Section 20 (3) & (4) in your notice cited, you have violated that said in that section and sub-sections.

This letter may be treated as a Notice u/s 21 (3) of the TCMP Act, 1953. The same permits the RMPs to propose deletions, additions, modifications and alterations and this notice is signed by me who is an RMP with the TCMC.

I, Dr. K. Kishore Kumar, S/o. Kumara Pillai, TCMC Reg. No. 7735, Part A, Modern Medicine, on my behalf and on behalf of the Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association, as its State Secretary, humbly request you to modify the Council decision taken earlier to issue registration certificates valid for five years and that taken on 22.4.2010 to update the register and issue of photo attached registration certificates.

We humbly request you to modify the decisions taken by the Council as permitted u/s 21(3):- 

1.     Issue permanent Registration certificates to those having registration numbers from 34515 with validity of five years. As and when the IMC Act and the TCMP Act are amended incorporating CMEs and re-registration every five years changes can be made.

2.    Decision taken on 22.4.2010 to issue New certificates and update registers of Modern Medicine doctors may be modified on the following lines:-

a.    Reduce the fees to Rs. 100/- for the new certificate. Accept Postal Orders, cheques or arrange online money transfer by giving the bank Account number of the TCMC. Proof of transfer to be attached with the application for the certificate. Registration fees u/s 24 is Rs. 20/- only.

Note:    A photo ID Certificate cannot be a permanent one. It must be updated every 5 or 10 years as the countenance / physiognomy change with aging. Also note that there is nothing that is tamper-proof and this new certificate will not solve quackery as found out by our Council.

b.    New certificates for Senior Citizens (above 60 years) must be free of cost.

c.    The TCMC must have its printed envelopes. Demanding envelopes is an insult.

d.    Reduce the size of the new certificate from 30x26 to half (26x15) or one-fourth.

e.    Accept attested copy of registration for issue of new certificate.

Thanking you.