‘Fake’ doctor performs 14,000 surgeries

Authorities in Bihar have fired a doctor after he was found to have performed over 14,000 sterilisation surgeries despite possessing a fake medical degree.

The fake doctor has been in service for the past 16 years during which he worked with various leading organisations.

Dr Girijanand Prasad was removed from his post Sunday after the document accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed he was using the medical registration number of some other doctor to run his medical practice. The accused doctor was currently posted with Marie Stopes India recognised by the Bihar State Health Society, formed under the Department of Health, government of Bihar, to improve health facilities in the state.

“We have removed the doctor from the job with immediate effect and also formed a committee to investigate his fake medical degree and certificate,” an official of Marie Stopes India, Vipin Kumar told the media on Sunday, adding that legal action would be taken against him once they got the probe report.

As per the document accessed under the RTI, the said doctor mentions his medical registration number as 22,492 which had been allotted to some other doctor. “The said registration number as cited by the so-called medical practitioner, as such, been allotted to Dr Pandey Sudhir Kumar. This means his certificate is fake,” remarked Indian Medical Council’s senior vice-president Dr Sunil Kumar Singh. He added no doctors could use his colleague’s registration number to run his medical practice.

The doctor who hails from southern Bihar’s Aurangabad district is said to have performed over 14,000 sterilisation surgeries during his stint with various organisations in the past over a decade.

Reports of doctors allegedly possessing fake medical degrees or certificates, have routinely hit the headlines in Bihar.