Privileges of Registered Medical Practitioners

(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any enactment, rule, by-law or any other provision of law- (a) A certificate required by law to be given by a medical practitioner shall be valid if it is signed by a registered practitioner; and (b) The expression "legally qualified medical practitioner" or "duly qualified medical practitioner" or any word or expression importing reference to a person recognized by law as a medical practitioner or as a member of the medical profession shall, in all Tamil Nadu Acts and in all Central Acts in their application to the State of Tamil Nadu in so far as such Acts relate to any of the matters specified in List II or List III in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, be deemed to include a registered practitioner. (2) Except with the sanction of the Government, no one other than a registered practitioner shall be competent to hold any appointment as physician, surgeon or other medical officer in any hospital, dispensary, asylum, infirmary or lying-in-hospital of indigenous or integrated medicine, maintained or aided by the Government or a local authority or both and not supported entirely by voluntary contributions. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Medical Registration Act, 1914 (Tamil Nadu Act IV of 1914), all registered practitioners shall be competent to hold any appointment as physician, surgeon or other medical officer in institutions of modern medicine or as Medical Officer of Health, which are open to registered practitioners as defined in the Tamil Nadu Medical Registration Act, 1914 (Tamil Nadu Act IV of 1914), and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.