India Today ·
Class 12 pass among 8 arrested for practising as doctors in Surat
A joint Surat Police SOG and health department operation arrested eight alleged fake doctors in Pandesara. The case has also brought scrutiny to one accused's earlier treatment of a 14-year-old boy whose death is under investigation.
Police said the accused had been running the clinics for two to 10 years, with some having only Class 12 or BSc qualifications and others having worked as compounders or operation theatre assistants.
Eight people accused of practising as doctors without recognised medical degrees were arrested in Surat following a joint operation by the city police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and the district health department.
According to police, the accused were running clinics at eight different locations in the Pandesara area and treating patients despite not possessing the required medical qualifications. They had allegedly been practising for periods ranging from two to 10 years.
Police said they had received information that several people in Pandesara were posing as doctors and treating patients without valid medical qualifications. To verify the allegations, police and health department officials first sent dummy patients to the suspected clinics.
After the exercise confirmed the allegations, three teams comprising police and health department personnel were formed. The teams simultaneously raided eight clinics in Pandesara and apprehended the eight accused.
During the investigation, police found that the accused had varied educational and professional backgrounds. While some had studied only up to Class 12, others had completed BSc degrees. Some had previously worked as compounders or operation theatre assistants.
Police alleged that the accused used their prior experience in the medical field to pass themselves off as doctors and subsequently began treating patients despite not holding recognised medical degrees.
The raids also resulted in the seizure of medicines, injections, syrups and other medical material from the clinics. Police said the total value of the seized material was Rs 98,825.