MCI debars three colleges for fake patients  

By Rashmi Belur  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 08th April 2017 01:48 AM  |  

BENGALURU: When a Medical Council of India (MCI) team inspected some medical colleges in Karnataka, they found some had adopted brazen methods to fill up patients: people who underwent open surgeries but showed no visible incision marks, patients admitted for more than a month for ailments that were non-existent, children brought from an orphanage and admitted in the paediatrics ward. 

These irregularities have forced the MCI to disaffiliate three private medical colleges: Sridevi Medical College, Tumakuru; Akash Institute of Medical Sciences, Devanahalli; and Sambram Medical College, Kolar. Three more colleges, including two government colleges, have also been denied renewal of affiliation based on infrastructure and other deficiencies. 

These are Chamrajnagar Institute of Medical Sciences and Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences and the private Al Ameen College of Vijayapura.

In its report, the committee said during their inspections last year they encountered “healthy persons” posing as patients in wards. 

“Many patients who were not genuine and did not require admission were admitted in wards of General Medicine, General Surgery, TB & Chest, Skin & VD and Orthopaedics. In General Medicine ward, a patient named Satish (Reg # 51007) was admitted on February 24, 2016 without diagnosis and was undergoing treatment till March 11, 2016. He looked healthy.”

In another college, the report said, “All 17 patients admitted in paediatrics ward were from an orphanage with very minor complaints which did not merit admission.” It said that on day of inspection there were no surgeries listed. Several entries were made in operation theatre (OT) register for thyroid and appendicitis surgeries, but no patients could be traced, the report added. 

“In post-operative ward there were five patients, of whom two were examined. They were reported to have right heel abscess drainage and total abdominal hysterectomy but no incision mark was observed... Data in OT registers were manipulated.” Another college did not even have a labour room.

Based on the report, the executive committee, which met in January decided not to recommend renewal of affiliation of these colleges for the next two years and the information was uploaded on MCI website.