Mumbaikars beware! A fake doctor could be treating your illness

The doctors allegedly secured their post graduation degree through fraud. Pic for representation/Getty Images

As many as 57 'bogus' doctors named in a racket, ­­whose post graduate degrees have been derecognised by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), continue to put patients' lives at risk in the city. While the Agripada police registered an FIR in October 2018, and arrested the mastermind of the racket a month later, no other doctors have been put behind bars yet.

MMC first uncovered the racket in 2016, when they began verifying documents of doctors who'd submitted their graduation and post graduation certificates for registration. During scrutiny, MMC found discrepancies in documents of 57 doctors who had filed applications for registration between January 2015 and October 2015. All of these doctors had submitted certificates from the College Of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), Mumbai. When their documents were sent for verification, CPS said all of them were forged.

Only mastermind held
MMC called some of the doctors for questioning and they said one Dr Snehal Nyati had helped procure the bogus certificates for them. Subsequently, MMC filed an FIR against Nyati at the Agripada police station in October 2018. The doctor, who allegedly masterminded the racket and took R7 lakh to R10 lakh for the certificates, was arrested from Nashik on November 10, 2018.

MMC is examining reports going back to 2010, and more doctors have been found guilty of submitting fake documents. Pic for representation/Getty Images

However, cops have not made any arrests since, leaving the 57 doctors named in the case free to practice and put patients' lives at risk. The names of these doctors had been revealed in an October 2018 response to an RTI query (mid-day has a copy) received by activist Ajay Bose. Bose said, "These doctors continue to cheat the public and are practicing in Mumbai and various hospitals across Maharashtra without any fear. Since they are fake doctors, they might endanger the lives of patients as they lack the requisite skills." Calling for the much-delayed arrests in the case, lawyer S Balakrishnan on January 11 also wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

More names emerge
MMC is examining reports going back to 2010, and as many as 40 more doctors have been found guilty for submitting fake documents. "We have submitted all required documents to the police. Now, it is the duty of the police to arrest them. We have found more names that we would submit as soon as possible," said Dr Shivkumar Utture, president, MMC.

Cops say
Speaking about the case, a senior police officer from the Agripada police station said, "We have already arrested a doctor involved in the racket. We have received information about some more names emerging in the ongoing investigation. Once MMC hands over the updated list, we will make the arrests."

40
New number of doctors also found to have submitted fake documents

Cops say
Speaking about the case, a senior police officer from the Agripada police station said, "We have already arrested a doctor involved in the racket. We have received information about some more names emerging in the ongoing investigation. Once MMC hands over the updated list, we will make the arrests."

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