Fake CPS Certificate SCAM: 40 more doctors to face Medical Council's wrath

Mumbai: 40 "super speciality doctors" belonging to the 2015 batch from the popular College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) are reportedly going to face suspension by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) in connection with the Fake Post-Graduate (PG) certificate scam.

Till date, the state medical council has suspended 78 such doctors who had been found guilty and their licences were suspended for a year (and five years for some).

Medical Dialogues has been extensively reporting about the scam since a year now.

Last month, 50 doctors were issued show cause notices by the medical council; after scrutiny into the records of each of their 2015 registrations showed discrepancies. The investigation allegedly revealed that these doctors had submitted bogus PG certificates from CPS.

According to MMC officials, these doctors have failed or not appeared for the CPS exam and still have produced the certificates, only to commence specialist practice later.

The Maharashtra Medical Council stumbled upon the scam over two years ago, while scrutinizing documents of a candidate, who had submitted a fake certificate for registration. This prompted the medical council to launch a statewide probe into the matter.

Most fake degrees were of sought-after courses such as diploma in gynaecology and obstetrics, diplomas in ophthalmic medicine, general surgery and cardiology, fellowships in surgery, medicine.

Read Also: Fake CPS Certificate Scam: State Medical Council demands Crime Branch to take over investigation

The MMC investigations revealed that around 77 doctors had failed the CPS examinations, but managed to procure passing certificates and had been practising based on those specialists' degrees since.

The medical council began taking action and 20 of these doctors were suspended in the month of April 2018. The 20 doctors had confessed that they paid lakhs of rupees in order to procure fake PG degrees and they also named a middleman who is paediatrician by profession. Later, the MMC summoned 53 specialists for questioning.

Read Also: Maharashtra Paediatrician Arrested in Fake CPS Certificate SCAM

Further inquiry led to 50 more doctors coming out and pleading guilty to the fraud and submitting written apologies. These doctors were handed a one-year suspension by the council. Another 7, who did not show for the final hearing were handed over a 5-year ban.

The whole case of fake certificates was linked to a larger scam and is alleged to have been involving more medical practitioners, who were assisting these doctors to get their "Pass certificates." Doctors allegedly paid between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 6 lakh for the certificates after failing the CPS examination.

The paediatrician, Dr Snehal Nyati's name figured as the kingpin of the scam.

After a confirmed identification that he was the one allegedly helping doctors procure fake certificates, the MMC permanently revoked Dr Nyati's registration to practice. The Bhoiwada police filed a charge sheet against Dr Nyati, but he got out on bail.

Read Also: Fake CPS Certificate Scam: Chargesheet filed against Pediatrician

Later, in February this year, the medical council had seized fake PG degrees of 57 practicing doctors, and revoked the practising license of all fake degree holders.

Thereafter further investigation into the 2015 registrations of the CPS database, discrepancies were discovered. Suspecting foul play by 50 more doctors, the MMC issued show cause notices to them for practising devoid of qualifications.

Read Also: Fake CPS degree scam : Another 50 doctors get Maharashtra Medical Council show cause notice

Now the council has decided to suspend 'licence to practice' of 40 more super-specialist doctors' of 2015 CPS batch after they failed to produce original certificates and explain discrepancies in their mark-sheets.

Some doctors did not even fill in examination forms and were declared 'failed', yet they managed to obtain fake certificates. According to MMC sources, some have confessed to having paid for fake certificates, reports Mirror.

Read Also: MCI Board of Governors to decide on Recognition of CPS diploma course

The MMC is planning to dig into records of earlier batches. Until now 2015, 2016 and 2017 batches have been investigated and around 130 students have been found to have fake certificates, adds the daily.