Regulation of Medical Practice in the State of Goa - India

This Legislative Diploma, enacted during the Portuguese administration, establishes a comprehensive legal framework for the regulation of medical practice. It requires that all medical practitioners possess recognized professional qualifications and be duly registered with the competent authorities. The Diploma prohibits the unauthorized practice of medicine, mandates cooperation with public health and sanitary services, and safeguards the principle of professional secrecy. Violations—including illegal prescribing, quackery, and unethical conduct—are punishable by penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.

In response to Starred Question No. 568, raised in the Goa Legislative Assembly on 5 July 1995 by the late Shri Manohar Parrikar, the then Law Minister, Shri Dominic Fernandes, informed the House that 43 Portuguese enactments continued to remain in force in the State of Goa. These enactments were listed in Annexure I to the reply, with Legislative Diploma No. 1468 dated 19 March 1953 appearing at Serial No. 38.

As no authoritative English translation of this Diploma was available in the public domain, Goa Kaido, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence, has prepared the present English translation. This initiative seeks to make Portuguese-era legislation more accessible to legal researchers, academicians, and the general public.

For the benefit of researchers, this publication presents an English translation of the principal provisions of the Diploma (in Notification file) alongside the original Portuguese text as published in the Boletim Oficial(in Act file). By placing both texts together, the publication aims to facilitate preservation, reference, and comparative legal study.