Doctors give fake life certificates; face misconduct charges

Doctors give fake life certificates; face misconduct charges

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 6.11.2021

Two doctors, including a government lady doctor, are facing medical council proceedings for misconduct, as they had issued ‘life certificates’ to dead persons. A government doctor in Royapettah government hospital in the grade of civil assistant surgeon, who issued life certificate to a dead man, who killed himself by suicide, was summoned by the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, an apex body regulating medical practice in the state.

Dr R Shanthini issued the medical certificate on January 10, 2018 to R Krishnakumar, three years after the man ended his life in July 2015. Two days later his life certificates were used to sell properties in his name. In November 2019, Krishnakumar’s wife lodged a complaint with the council stating the “fake” certificate by the doctor aided her relatives to illegally sell properties without consultations with the legal heir.

In another, complaint dated December 19, 2020, Bangalore-based R Vinod Kumar said that Hosur based Dr KP Badri Prasad conspired with one M Narasimhan to issue false life certificates for two women – Sabitha J and Shylaja Jayasurya – about a year after Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP) issued their death certificates. While Sabitha had died on October 16, 2019, her mother Shylaja died on July 18, 2020. Yet, on September 7, 2020, Hosur-based Dr K P Badri Prasad issued them “life certificates for the purpose of registration of documents based on power of attorney”.

On December 19, 2020, Vinodh Kumar filed a complaint against Dr Badri Prasad. On January 19 the council sent him a memorandum seeking explanations for the complaint. “These complaints come under misconduct and are gross violations of TN Medical Council code of ethics (professional etiquette and ethics),” said Tamil Nadu Medical Council president Dr K Senthil.

The following month, Dr Badri Prasad wrote to council stating that he was conned by one Narasimhan who brought two “similar looking” women to his clinic and that he could not see them clearly as they were seated 6 feet away due to the pandemic. Dr Prasad said his face shield and the plastic curtain between them made it difficult for him to see their face clearly. He also urged the council to verify the authenticity of the BBMP certificates. The certificate is also available on the BBMP webpage.

While the state council called for disciplinary proceedings against the two doctors, the council is also planning to organise awareness programmes for doctors and members of the public on legal provisions. Over the last two years, the council has been receiving complaints against doctors issuing fake certificates for death and life, he said. “We want our doctors to know that such things can land them in trouble. They may not only lose their licenses, but may also have criminal charges framed against them,” Dr Senthil said.

The state council is planning to hold awareness programmes for doctors and members of the public on legal provisions