PMC’s delayed action facilitates bogus doctor to escape
A five-month delay by PMC health department in filing a police case on a complaint against a bogus doctor practicing in Manjari allowed the latter to give authorities the slip
Pune: A five-month delay by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department in filing a police case on a complaint against a bogus doctor practicing in Manjari allowed the latter to give authorities the slip.
The PMC anti-bogus doctors’ cell received a complaint on May 22 against the electro homeopathy medicine practitioner running a clinic at Manjri and prescribing allopathy medicines without requisite qualification and sans registration with the medical council. And the civic administration lodged a first information report (FIR) against the quack at Hadapsar Police Station on October 30.
Newly transferred ward medical officer (WMO) of Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward office Dr Swati Ghanvat is the complainant.
The police have registered an offence under Section 33(2) (Prohibition of medical practice by persons not registered) of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961.
Acting on the complaint, the PMC cell inspected the clinic of the accused on June 27 and found that he was practicing medicine for around three years. After the opinion of legal department, the cell on August 13 ordered the then WMO, Dr Snehal Kale, to file an FIR against the quack.
Dr Kale went on leave and gave a letter on September 4 stating that filing the FIR was not possible as PMC is yet to take over full control of healthcare services in merged villages, including the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward area where the clinic run by the bogus doctor is located.
Hindustan Times published a report in its September 30 edition highlighting the double standards of PMC wherein the civic body was enforcing the Maharashtra Nursing Home Registration Act 1949 in merged villages but failing to take action against bogus doctors operating in these areas.
While orders were again given to Dr Kale on October 1 to file an FIR, expected to be lodged in seven days, against the quack, it remained on paper before the doctor took a transfer to a maternity home.
HT carried the report in its October 18 edition on the WMO being issued a show cause notice for deliberate delay in filing FIR against the bogus doctor.
Later, the new WMO who took charge of the ward filed an FIR. However, the bogus doctor is at large.
Dr Kale said, “As I was new to the case, opinion was asked from seniors. I was about to file the FIR but got transferred to the hospital. As all details about the case have been given to the new WMO, I cannot comment about it now.”
Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health officer and incharge of PMC Anti-Bogus Doctors’ Cell, said, “As the FIR has been filed, there is a possibility of the bogus doctor practicing again. The accused’s clinic is presently run by another doctor. We have ordered health officials to alert us about the whereabouts of the quack even as the police have launched probe.”