‘Launch inquiry into admission process of autonomous colleges’

MAHARASHTRA MEDICAL COUNCIL WROTE TO THE STATE GOVT AFTER 57 DOCTORS WERE BANNED FROM PRACTICE FOR SUBMITTING FAKE DEGREE CERTIFICATES

MUMBAI: After the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) banned seven city doctors from practising for five years and 50 for a year after they allegedly submitted 50 fake post-graduate diploma and fellowship certificates from the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), it has now written to the state government seeking a probe into the admission processes of autonomous institutions.

The issue is that the candidates who produce fake documents re able to clear the hiring process, said state government officials. Most of these cases involve universities of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, they added.

Dr Shivkumar Utture, President, MMC, “We have asked the state government to conduct an inquiry into the documentation submitted. Stringent action will be taken against those who bypass the laws.” The government can help MMC with logistical support for carrying a crackdown on fake doctors, said MMC officials.

The issue first came to light in 2016, when 77 candidates who submitted fake CPS certificates came under the scanner. Nineteen were found to be guilty after the first round of investigations and received a suspension sentence anywhere between one to five years. Subsequently, 20 candidates were suspended.

Last week, 50 were suspended for a year after they admitted to the crime. The remaining seven, who didn’t attend the hearing, were suspended for five years. They have been indentified as Natasha Char, Bandana Kumar, Priyanka Bhagat, Mayank Sharma, Vipul Kumar Patel, Suchita Goyal, and Rekha R.

Officials said the amount paid by the accused to obtain the fake certificates after failing their exams range from ₹3 lakh to ₹6 lakh. Some of the accused held high positions in reputed private hospitals. The hospitals have not yet taken any legal action against the accused.