claimed that in recent weeks, the police have been arresting fresh medical graduates who were practicing under the supervision of registered doctors while failing to apprehend quack doctors who claimed to be unlicensed practitioners.

He told the Daily Mirror that quack doctors are unqualified, unregistered medical practitioners practicing Allopathic medicine and Ayurvedic, Homoeopathy and indigenous medicines.

"Most of the fresh medical graduates usually practice under a licenced doctor until they get their government appointments. It is not illegal to serve like that because the fresh medical graduates can earn some money and experience before getting their licences. The medical graduates do not working as independent doctors, but under a registered doctor who is the responsible person," he said.

"But unfortunately, the police are arresting the medical graduates and not the quack doctors. That should be stopped immediately. To run the private health sector 24 hours a day, it is required to have the services or assistance of medical graduates," he added.

He claimed that such arrests were made on the orders of the Director General of Health Services. The Health Ministry should discourage the quack doctors and not the fresh medical graduates, he said.

"But the GMOF and the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) have told the Health Ministry Director General to get the actual quacks arrested. But they arrest the graduated doctors who are working as assistants to various practitioners.

"A fresh medical graduate needs to have experience practicing under the supervision of a registered doctor," Dr. Bellana added.

DMN