State medical council presses charges on 58 'bogus' doctors
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has pressed criminal charges against 58 doctors for submitting fake postgraduate degrees from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) to obtain licence to practice. The quasi-judicial body has also written to the state medical education department to take over the expansive probe, citing lack of resources.
The MMC, which grants doctors licence to practise within Maharashtra based on their passing certificates, first stumbled upon the scam in 2016 when around 20 doctors were netted. The probe continued over the next few years, gaining momentum in 2017-18 when 58 offenders were identified. Many of these doctors were treating patients as specialists in surgery, paediatrics and gynaecology till the MMC suspended their licences this July.
"Forgery is a criminal offence, so we had to file a police complaint. It assumes more seriousness when medical professionals indulge in such cheating as it puts human lives at stake," said Dr Shivkumar Utture, MMC president. He added that an application has been submitted at Agripada police station.
An official from the Agripada police station said the FIRs are yet to be registered. The charges would be finalized only after an FIR. TOI was the first to report about the scam on April 6.
The two-year diploma and three-year fellowship degrees awarded by CPS are equivalent to the MD/MD and diploma degrees granted at medical s chools. Majority of the fake degrees were pertaining to the sought-after CPS courses, including diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics, diploma in ophthalmic medicine, diploma in general surgery, diploma in cardiology, and fellowships in surgery and medicine.
The MMC had found that MBBS graduates had submitted marksheets and degree certificates without actually clearing the final exams. When the degrees were cross-checked with the CPS database, the names of many candidates didn't appear in their list of successful candidates for that academic year.
"With our limited resources, we have managed to go through our records for 2016 and half of 2015. But we are afraid the scam began much before that as we are still getting cases," Dr Utture said. He added that the body has sought the state's support in the investigation, fearing a bigger racket spread across Maharashtra.
During their hearings in front of the MMC, many doctors admitted having 'bought' their certificate from a 'CPS agent', while some others claimed that they were cajoled into paying by a mysterious caller.
An FIR against Dr Senhal Nyati, allegedly a paediatrician and a CPS agent, was registered in the past. The doctors were allegedly told that they had flunked in their final exams, but the results could be tweaked for Rs 3-5 lakh. The MMC has maintained that a thorough probe is required to rule out the involvement of the college itself.
TNN | Sep 13, 2018, 02.21 AM IST
The MMC, which grants doctors licence to practise within Maharashtra based on their passing certificates, first stumbled upon the scam in 2016 when around 20 doctors were netted. The probe continued over the next few years, gaining momentum in 2017-18 when 58 offenders were identified. Many of these doctors were treating patients as specialists in surgery, paediatrics and gynaecology till the MMC suspended their licences this July.
"Forgery is a criminal offence, so we had to file a police complaint. It assumes more seriousness when medical professionals indulge in such cheating as it puts human lives at stake," said Dr Shivkumar Utture, MMC president. He added that an application has been submitted at Agripada police station.
An official from the Agripada police station said the FIRs are yet to be registered. The charges would be finalized only after an FIR. TOI was the first to report about the scam on April 6.
The two-year diploma and three-year fellowship degrees awarded by CPS are equivalent to the MD/MD and diploma degrees granted at medical s chools. Majority of the fake degrees were pertaining to the sought-after CPS courses, including diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics, diploma in ophthalmic medicine, diploma in general surgery, diploma in cardiology, and fellowships in surgery and medicine.
The MMC had found that MBBS graduates had submitted marksheets and degree certificates without actually clearing the final exams. When the degrees were cross-checked with the CPS database, the names of many candidates didn't appear in their list of successful candidates for that academic year.
"With our limited resources, we have managed to go through our records for 2016 and half of 2015. But we are afraid the scam began much before that as we are still getting cases," Dr Utture said. He added that the body has sought the state's support in the investigation, fearing a bigger racket spread across Maharashtra.
During their hearings in front of the MMC, many doctors admitted having 'bought' their certificate from a 'CPS agent', while some others claimed that they were cajoled into paying by a mysterious caller.
An FIR against Dr Senhal Nyati, allegedly a paediatrician and a CPS agent, was registered in the past. The doctors were allegedly told that they had flunked in their final exams, but the results could be tweaked for Rs 3-5 lakh. The MMC has maintained that a thorough probe is required to rule out the involvement of the college itself.
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