Fake health cards: action against six doctors

The Health department has initiated action against six doctors, who issued fake health certificates to food handlers without examining them physically or even meeting the persons.

The registration of all six doctors would be suspended for 21 days, Health Minister Veena George said.

Sources at the Kerala State Council of Modern Medicine said that following the intimation by the Health department, they had issued notices to the said doctors. The Council had examined the documents, given the doctors a personal hearing and were convinced about the veracity of the complaint, before they were issued the suspension notice.

The doctors will not have permission to practice either in a hospital or in private for the suspension period of 21 days.

They, however, will get a grace period of 60 days, within which they can appeal to the National Medical Commission to revoke the suspension.

The Health department made health cards mandatory for food handlers in hotels, restaurants and other food joints in February 2023 as part of enforcing the food safety and hygiene rules. This was following a spate of food poisoning episodes in various parts of the State, wherein loss of lives were involved.

Accordingly, it was made the responsibility of food business operators manufacturing, selling and distributing food to ensure that all food handlers in their institution had a valid medical fitness certificate.

For food handlers

The food handlers had to undergo a physical examination by a registered medical practitioner, who had to certify that the person did not have any open wounds or sores or any skin diseases. Blood tests were necessary to certify that the person did not have TB or other contagious diseases. Typhoid vaccination was mandatory. The examining doctor had to affix his signature and seal on the certificate. The aid health ccavesard would have the validity of one year.

The Health department also insisted that the certificates and the test results of all food handlers in a business should be maintained at the workplace and produced upon demand by Health/Food Safety officials.

“What has been happening is that the restaurant owners’ association will conduct a “medical” camp for its employees. At the camp, each of the eateries will produce a bunch of forms pertaining to their employees, which would be signed and sealed by the doctors blindly. This is a very dangerous practice and something that defeats all attempts of authorities to ensure food safety and hygiene,” a senior doctor pointed out.

It may be recalled that in 2016, in a Hepatitis A outbreak in Nellikuzhy panchayat in Ernakulam district, the Health department had traced the origin of the outbreak to one of the food handlers engaged in making lime juice.