Fake Doctor Found Working at Mumbai Hospital ICU for 2 years

Mumbai: A senior contractual doctor who worked in the ICU ward of V N Desai Hospital, Santacruz, for nearly two years, was recently found to be a fake doctor and unregistered with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).

The individual, identified as Dr Sawant Bharat Chandrakant, was working as a registrar in the Intensive Care Unit on a contractual basis since late 2022 with forged documents. He was appointed through Sai Sanjeevani Agency, a manpower contractor hired by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The matter came to light in February 2025 when a hospital employee noticed that Dr Sawant had not submitted a proper MMC registration certificate. Instead, he had provided a letter claiming he was permitted to practise. This led to the suspicion, and the staff flagged the issue, leading the hospital to verify his credentials with the MMC. In April 2025, the MMC responded, confirming that Dr Sawant was not registered with the council and that the letter he submitted was a forged document.

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Following this confirmation, the hospital dismissed Sawant from duty and imposed a fine on him. However, no direct legal or disciplinary action has been taken against him so far.

On Tuesday, the hospital issued two show-cause notices to Sai Sanjeevani Agency, the contracting firm responsible for providing trained manpower for the hospital and for failing to properly verify the accused's qualifications and registration before deployment.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the hospital staffer told Free Press Journal, " Dr Sawant was responsible for supervising the ICU ward. He claimed that he was an MD and was working in the ICU as a registrar. He handled several critical patients."

After issuing the show cause notices, the hospital authorities told HT, "No permission has been given by the hospital administration for the appointment of fake doctors, and in fact, strict action has already been initiated against the said contractor organisation. The hospital administration has already taken serious note of the type of fake doctor appointment by the concerned organisation."

“The process of taking action against the organisation, Sai Sanjeevani, was initiated immediately after the feedback received from the Maharashtra Medical Council. All types of financial dues of this organisation have been suspended since November 2024,” said an official note from BMC.

Criticising BMC in this regard, a health activist said, “A registrar is a critical position that requires proper qualifications and registration. His documents were not verified properly at the time of appointment. This is a serious matter and part of a larger problem. It is ironic that the BMC, which is responsible for cracking down on fake and bogus doctors, is itself employing an unregistered doctor in one of its hospitals."

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