Quack doctor arrested in raid at Navi Mumbai clinic
Mumbai: A 60 year old quack impersonating as a doctor was arrested by the Turbhe MIDC police on Tuesday in a raid at his clinic. The raid was conducted acting on a complaint by Maharashtra Council of Indian Medicine (MCIM), the health department of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).
As per various media accounts, in 2010 too, NMMC had raided and the accused, who had been practicing now for close to 30 years, was caught under Maharashtra Medical Practioners Act and was acquitted in 2020.
Lately, the complainant, Dr Kailas Gaikwad stated, "In 2010, we had booked 12 bogus doctors including the accused BR Yadav. Then, he was acquitted by the court as we had invoked only Section 33 of Medical Practioners Act, 1961, for which substantial evidence could not be produced before the court. Hence, Yadav continued to practice medicine illegally at his Turbhe clinic for the past 11 years."
He added, "Recently, after verification of his qualification it was found that in 1991, he was issued a BSc RMP (Registered Medical Practitioner) letter by Maharashtra Council of Indian Medicine for practicing as a doctor in rural areas. This letter is issued to a person, who assists a registered medical practitioner and is imparted training as a doctor. Thereafter, the person is permitted to practice as a doctor, but only in rural areas and that too, where no other registered doctor practices. "
However, Dr Gaikwad said, "But, Yadav misused the letter and started practicing as a doctor in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) jurisdiction, which is not a rural area, as it does not come under gram panchayat after the Navi Mumbai municipal corporation was established in 1995. Hence, a FIR was registered against Yadav on Tuesday."
It is allowed for a person to practice in rural areas where there are no doctors in the vicinity of 10km if the person has an experience of working under any doctor for not less than five years.
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"The council issues a letter to the person permitting to practice but only in rural areas with no doctor in the vicinity. He is allowed to only give primary care. The accused had such a letter issued by the council in 1991, when Turbhe was a rural area. But in 1995, the corporation came into existence and Turbhe was no more a rural area and yet he continued the practice," Kailas Gaikwad, Turbhe Urban Health Primary Centre head, told HT.
Recently, investigating officer API Pankaj Ghatkar told TOI that an FIR was filed by NMMC medical officer Dr Kailas Gaikwad against the accused after which he was arrested on Tuesday. The accused is a resident of Airoli.
Ghatkar said, "Yadav has been booked under relevant IPC Sections for cheating by personation, dishonesty and forgery along with the Medical Practitioners Act, 1961"
He added, "Yadav was produced before the Vashi JMFC court on Wednesday. As Yadav has been booked under non-bailable offences, the court has sent him to magistrate custody remand. "
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