'Doctor', 'Dr' not exclusive to medical professionals: Kerala HC
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Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court has dismissed pleas moved by medical professionals against the use of 'Dr' by physiotherapists and occupational therapists, saying the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act does not provide for use of the prefix by MBBS graduates.
Justice V G Arun said that the word 'doctor' was initially used for referring to someone who had achieved the highest level of learning and had received licence to teach in fields like theology, law and philosophy.
The court said that the term doctor originally meant a learned person qualified to teach, but gradually, with the advancement of medical science, university trained physicians -- holders of degrees in medicine -- began to be called doctors.
"Therefore, the contention that the title 'doctor' exclusively belongs to medical professionals is a misconception since even now, like in the olden times, persons with higher educational qualifications like PhD are entitled to use the title 'doctor'," the court said.
It further said that the NMC Act does not contain any provision for conferring the title doctor on qualified medical professionals.
The court also said that the expression title used in section 40 of the Kerala State Medical Practitioners Act cannot be understood as statutorily entitling the qualified medical professionals to prefix 'Dr' to their names.
"In the absence of such provision, the petitioners (doctors) cannot claim exclusive right to use the prefix 'Dr'," the court said.
It also declined to read down the provisions of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Profession (NCAHP) Act, 2021, so as to confine the scope of discharge of professional services by physiotherapists and occupational therapists as a supporting group for the qualified medical professionals registered under the NMC Act.
The court said it would be inappropriate to "tinker" with the policy of the central government or read down the provisions of the NCAHP Act or the Competency Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy at the instance of a few medical professionals.
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Fired from family business, nephew breaks into uncle's shops in Delhi; arrested
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has arrested a 22-year-old man who allegedly stole cash, a laptop and a mobile phone from his uncle's shop in Dwarka to take revenge after he was fired from the family business, officials said on Wednesday.
Piyush Tulswani, the accused, completed his Class 11 from Rajasthan's Pilani, after which he came back to live with his family, a senior police officer said.
His father, Kishan Tulswani, used to work as a sales manager at his uncle Jeetu's confectionery shops. After the death of his father, Piyush took up his position, the officer said.
Soon, Piyush started embezzling money from the shops, and was fired after Jeetu took note of the act, police said.
His mother also reprimanded him for embezzling money, after which Piyush left home and started living with his friend, the officer said.
Piyush hatched a plot to steal money from his uncle’s shops, which he knew well. Acting on his plan, he took his brother's scooter and broke open each shop, stealing cash, a laptop and a mobile phone.
On January 31, Jeetu reported the matter to police, accusing Piyush of committing burglaries at his shops located in Sector-18, Sector-11, Sector-12 and Sector-4, Dwarka, the officer said.
Jeetu also provided CCTV camera footage from the shops, in which Piyush could be seen breaking them open, he said.
Tracing his mobile phone locations to Safdarjang, Hauz Khas, Rajapuri and Dabri, police conducted several raids.
“He later switched off his phone to restrict access to his location,” the officer said.
On February 13, police received information that Piyush would come to the fruit mandi in Dabri around 9.30 am. Accordingly, a trap was laid, leading to the arrest of the accused, he said.
Initially, he did not confess to the crime, but when police showed him the CCTV clips, he admitted to committing the burglaries, the officer said.
