MBBS Doctor Poses as DNB Cardiologist, Performs over 50 Heart Surgeries in Faridabad

Faridabad: With only an MBBS degree and no specialised qualification or training in cardiology, a doctor shockingly managed to perform over 50 heart surgeries in just eight months at the Heart Care Centre of the District Civil Hospital, Badshah Khan, by impersonating renowned city cardiologist Dr. Pankaj Mohan. The fraud went undetected for months until one day, patients facing complications from surgery visited the real doctor in search of him and discovered the true identity of the accused.

The accused doctor, identified as Pankaj Mohan Sharma, is an MBBS Doctor. Since both doctors share similar names, the accused stole the identity and even the registration number of the real cardiologist and performed surgeries, putting the patient's life at serious risk. Among those he operated on, several patients’ health worsened after treatment, and some even tragically died.

The fraud came to light when one of the patients, whose condition worsened after a heart procedure at the hospital, visited the cardiologist, only to find out that he had never treated anyone at the civil hospital.

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This revelation led to an enquiry that uncovered the months of deception and malpractice at the heart centre, which operates under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model since 2018. The accused has been removed from his position at the centre.

Same name, Fake identity

Taking advantage of sharing the same name, Dr. Pankaj Mohan Sharma used the registration number of a cardiologist, Dr Pankaj Mohan, to secure a position at the heart centre. Dr Sharma even used prescriptions that had a stamp that identified him as a ‘cardiologist’, with a DNB (cardiology) degree.

According to probe findings, Dr Sharma served at the centre from July 2024 to February 2025. During the period, several patients suffered complications following the surgery that he had performed, while some had died. TOI has reported that Dr Sharma used Dr Mohan’s registration number 2456, while his own MBBS registration was 28482.

It has been reported that Dr. Sharma secured the job by initially presenting himself as a ‘general surgeon.’ However, after joining the hospital, he began posing as a cardiologist. When the hospital authorities grew suspicious and asked him to submit his qualifications, he failed to do so and abruptly stopped coming to the Heart Centre.

How the fraud surfaced

The incident came to light after Dr. Pankaj Mohan Sharma suddenly stopped going to the Heart Centre in February this year after being asked to produce his degree, and many patients began enquiring about him. They then went to the real cardiologist, Dr. Pankaj Mohan, in search of him.

When heart specialist Dr. Mohan said that he had never treated anyone in the Civil Hospital's Heart Centre, it was then revealed that Dr. Sharma had misused his name and treated heart patients in the Heart Centre as a cardiologist.

After the truth surfaced, the cardiologist, Dr Mohan, lodged a complaint with the Indian Medical Association in January this year and also complained about this matter to the Chief Medical Officer's office for using his registration number. At the same time, he even sent a legal notice to Dr. Pankaj Mohan Sharma in this regard, reports Jagran.

The web of forgery by Dr Sharma came under the scanner of the police when Dr Mohan's lawyer, Sanjay Gupta, also a social activist, lodged a complaint at the NIT Faridabad police station on April 11, revealing his secrets to the police.

On this, the police said, "Dr Sharma was hired in July last year by Mediterina Hospital, which runs the heart care centre at Badshah Khan on a public-private partnership model."

Further, Gupta said, "The hospital management continued to employ an unqualified and fraudulent doctor who lacks any degree or recognised specialisation in cardiology. Dr Sharma falsely claimed qualifications of MD and DNB (cardiology), which are entirely fraudulent."

Dr M Pratap Kumar, CMD of Mediterina Hospital, told TOI, "Dr Sharma had been removed. He applied through formal HR channels as a general physician. We always had suspicions about his cardiology degree and acted on it."

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