The Kerala High Court has rejected petitions by medical professionals challenging the use of the prefix “Dr” by physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

The court noted that the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act does not grant MBBS graduates exclusive rights to the title “doctor.”

The bench headed by Justice V. G. Arun observed that the term “doctor” originally referred to someone with the highest level of learning and a licence to teach fields like theology, law, and philosophy.

Over time, the title became associated with medical practitioners holding university degrees in medicine. However, the court clarified that the NMC Act does not confer the title of “doctor” to qualified medical professionals by law.

Furtherm the court said that the mention of “title” in Section 40 of the Kerala State Medical Practitioners Act cannot be interpreted as giving statutory entitlement to use the prefix “Dr.”

Further, the court declined to limit the scope of practice of physiotherapists and occupational therapists under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, stating that these professionals are not merely supporting staff for doctors.

Justice Arun emphasized that it would be inappropriate to “tinker” with central government policy or alter the NCAHP Act and related competency-based curricula at the request of a few medical professionals