Pukmeister said:
There should be laws against this in the same way that you can't call yourself a Doctor and practise medicine unless suitable qualified.
You may (or may not) be delighted to know that the majority of GPs in the UK do NOT have a doctoral level degree.
They are called 'doctor' as a courtesy.
This stems from the fact that the UK (almost uniquely) awards bachelor degrees for most areas of study in the 'professions'.
Thus, physicians and surgeons are awarded two bachelor degrees, one in surgery and in medicine, dentists are awarded a bachelor degree in dental surgery.
Most other countries award these people a MD or DDS degree.
An MD is available in the UK as a higher post-graduate degree. Incresingly, if a young surgeon/physician wants to progress in the hospital sector he (or she) will take an MD whilst in the registrar 'rank'. This is often before taking exams for membership of the higher levels of the relevant Royal College.
Bear in mind, that, if you follow the American model, almost all 'functional' degree courses are post-graduate. That is, you must have some mickey-mouse US bachelor degree before studying medicine, law, dentistry, ophthalmics, business studies, journalism, engineering, etc etc etc. For example, all American lawyers hold a doctoral degree, the JD. They have difficulty, soemtimes, accepting that a 21 yr old from the UK with an LlB is just as academically qualified.
This stems, in part, from the fact that A-level is a much higher level of study that the US high-school graduation diploma.