Tainted Vasai-Virar officer’s hospital has no abortion data

Wadkar’s Highway Hospital on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway

More alleged wrongdoings by a now-arrested former chief medical officer of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation have tumbled out, even as the Palghar district health office has started a parallel probe against him. A private multispecialty hospital owned by alleged bogus doctor Sunil Wadkar, 44, has no records of abortions or deliveries, said Dr Yojana Jadhav, taluka health officer.

"Wadkar had been running Highway Hospital since 2013 but it has not maintained a record of number of deliveries and abortions conducted there till date," said Dr Jadhav. "Above all, Wadkar's wife is a dentist who has got a certificate in nursing from a Civil Hospital Thane in 2013 to conduct medical termination of pregnancy and tubal ligation… this is again illegal," said Dr Jadhav, whose complaint led to Wadkar arrest.

Wadkar is in the custody of Virar police in a forgery case as he could not produce his MBBS degree. "How Wadkar's wife got this certificate when she was a dentist? She was not authorised to get this certificate, yet she secured it. This is a matter of investigation," said Dr Jadhav. District Health Officer Dr Dayanand Suryavanshi said, "The documents that Sunil Wadkar has produced are forged. We are conducting a thorough enquiry and are assisting the police in their investigation."

Sunil Wadkar, former chief medical officer at VVCMC. Pics/Hanif Patel

On Thursday, a team from the district health office visited Wadkar's Highway Hospital on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. "Taluka health officer, medical superintendent, block development officer and other officials have been studying the files and certificates at Highway Hospital. We are also checking if it is registered under the Bombay Nursing Act and what all treatments were given to patients at this hospital," said Dr Rajendra Kelkar, additional civil surgeon of Palghar district.

"The report will be submitted before the Department of Medical Education and Research and then the action will be taken by them," Dr Kelkar added. Sources in the police department said many tenders had been floated when Wadkar served as the chief medical officer of Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC).

"A few tenders were jointly undersigned by the then civic chief and Wadkar as many medical equipment were required to run hospitals in the newly formed municipal corporation. So, all these tenders are being checked. We have also learnt that a few bogus tenders were floated by Wadkar and these are subject of investigation," said an officer privy to the investigation.

"Our initial investigation indicates that Wadkar was supported by the administration in his bogus act," said the source, who added, "When he was the CMO at VVCMC, Wadkar would tell his juniors that he had studied medicine from a medical college in Bengaluru."

Wadkar busted many fake doctors: ex-colleague

A doctor who worked in Wadkar's team at VVCMC said the latter gave the impression of an efficient doctor. "Though he himself is a bogus doctor, yet he conducted various drives under Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act and got many fake doctors arrested when he was civic medical boss," said the doctor. A senior medical officer from the district health office too raised questions over the permission given to Wadkar's dentist wife to conduct abortions and tubal ligation.

"We have also learnt that Highway Hospital issued many death certificates in crucial cases in which post-mortem was mandatory. Yet, the autopsy was not conducted and the death certificates were issued. We are probing this angle too," said a police officer. "He was a strict boss and would never allow people to take leave easily. We all were contractual employees including Wadkar…he would also take time to release our salary," said a source.

Many COVID patients were treated at Highway Hospital, said sources. "There were deaths too. The COVID patients admitted to this hospital never got Remdesivir vials…many patients died during the pandemic," said a source. Palghar Collector Maanikrao Gursal said, "That hospital was not registered under COVID in Palghar. Everything is being thoroughly probed."