Unqualified Practitioner Discharged from Mumbai Hospital After Presenting Sham Qualification Documents
In a shocking revelation, a fake doctor, Dr. Sawant Bharat Chandrakant, was discovered working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mumbai's VN Desai Hospital for nearly two years. Dr. Chandrakant was employed through the Sai Sanjeevani Agency, a contractor for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
How the Unauthorised Practice Occurred
Dr. Chandrakant's appointment was made possible due to a series of oversights. He submitted forged documents, including a letter claiming he was permitted to practice, instead of a genuine Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) registration certificate. The hospital did not verify his credentials with the MMC until February 2025, when suspicions arose about his qualifications. Before this, his documents were not thoroughly checked.
The incident highlights systemic failures in the verification process and in the BMC's oversight of contracted agencies. Despite strict verification requirements, the agency failed to ensure that all personnel were properly registered. Dr. Chandrakant's employment on a contractual basis might have contributed to a lack of rigorous background checks typical for permanent appointments.
Actions Taken
Once the lack of registration was confirmed by the MMC in April 2025, Dr. Chandrakant was dismissed from duty and fined. The VN Desai Hospital issued two show-cause notices to the Sai Sanjeevani Agency. In response to the discovery, the BMC suspended financial payments to the agency since November 2024.
There are calls for legal action against Dr. Chandrakant, with concerns raised about why no FIR has been filed despite acknowledgement of forged documents.
Implications and Concerns
The incident raises concerns about the vulnerability of healthcare systems to quackery and the need for stricter enforcement of medical registration requirements. It also questions the efficacy of current measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. The fake doctor's employment in the ICU ward, where he handled several critical patients, underscores the potential danger such practices pose to public health.
- The revelation about Dr. Chandrkant's unauthorized practice in the health-and-wellness sector, specifically the ICU of Mumbai's VN Desai Hospital, has prompted discussions on general-news platforms about the need for stricter enforcement of medical-conditions requirements to protect public health.
- This incident, involving crime-and-justice elements such as forged documents and the employment of an unregistered practitioner, serves as a grim reminder of the potential dangers that inadequate verification processes in the science field can pose for medical-conditions and health-and-wellness outcomes.
