Crackdown on 12 fake clinics, Quacks over illegal medical practice

Mysuru: Altogether, 12 fake clinics were sealed for illegally operating without a license in the Mysuru district. Out of them, eight unregistered hospitals have been slapped with penalties ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, two have challenged the closure in the court, and two others are under verification to determine whether they are qualified to operate under Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha or Homoeopathy (AYUSH) systems.

During the raid, officials found that many of these fake clinics were being run by fake doctors. They discovered that they did not have proper medical degrees, and the clinics were not registered with the government.

Some of the clinics were found prescribing both Ayurvedic and Allopathic medicines, which is a violation of licensing norms. While some operators were fake doctors with no qualifications, others had obtained fake RMP (Registered Medical Practitioner) certificates and opened clinics to treat patients.

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This was uncovered during a major crackdown by the Mysuru District Administration and Health Department to curb illegal medical practices and protect public health. They conducted the raid after receiving credible information about the illegal clinic being operated in the district. Based on this, officials inspected various clinics and hospitals across the district.

According to Dr. S. Gopinath, District Family Welfare Officer and Nodal Officer for Registration and Grievance Redressal under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act, the district has around 1,480 registered hospitals and clinics. However, 28 were found to be operating without valid registration, out of which 12 were sealed for functioning illegally.

The crackdown began after a review meeting was held on July 9 with Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy. Based on credible leads, inspection teams launched raids across the district, uncovering multiple cases of quacks and unlicensed clinics.

Dr. Gopinath said, "The Health Department’s raids aimed to crack down on individuals falsely posing as qualified medical professionals and endangering the lives of unsuspecting patients. While some were outright quacks, others were operating clinics that prescribed both Ayurvedic and Allopathic medicines in violation of their licence conditions,”

Speaking on this, the health officials told Star of Mysore, "The rise of fake doctors has become a serious concern in several parts of the State. In Kalaburagi, for instance, individuals were found treating patients without the mandatory approvals under the KPME Act. Raids were carried out following reliable intelligence regarding these illegal medical practices."

“The modus operandi of these unauthorised practitioners typically begins with working as assistants or compounders in established medical clinics, where they gain exposure to basic medical procedures, prescription practices and the administration of common drugs. Subsequently, they procure fake Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) certificates through illegal means. Once armed with these forged credentials, they open clinics and pose as qualified doctors, exploiting the trust of unsuspecting patients," the officials added.

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