MBBS doctor posed as cardiologist, performed 50 heart operations at Faridabad hospital in 8 months; treated patients under stolen ID
An MBBS doctor masquerading as a cardiologist performed more than 50 heart procedures over eight months before his fraudulent practice was discovered.
Though a qualified doctor, Pankaj Mohan Sharma put countless lives at risk at a heartcare centre in Badshah Khan Civil Hospital because he was not authorised to perform critical cardiac surgeries.
Dr Sharma came under cops’ scanner when Sanjay Gupta — a lawyer and social activist — lodged a complaint at NIT Faridabad police station on April 11, quoting sources to allege that he bagged additional degrees based on forged documents.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had been operating under a stolen identity, misappropriating the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) registration number assigned to Dr Pankaj Mohan, a legitimate cardiologist practising in the city.
Fake cardiologist worked undetected at hospital
Police said Dr Sharma was hired in July last year by Mediterina Hospital, which runs the heart care centre at Badshah Khan on a public-private partnership mode. Investigation revealed that Dr Sharma brazenly used Dr Mohan’s registration number 2456, while his own MBBS registration was 28482.
He did not stop at that. Dr Sharma’s prescriptions had a stamp that identified him as a ‘cardiologist’, complete with a DNB (cardiology) — a postgraduate degree equivalent to an MD.
“The hospital management continued to employ an unqualified and fraudulent doctor who lacks any degree or recognised specialisation in cardiology. Dr Sharma falsely claimed qualifications of MD and DNB (cardiology), which are entirely fraudulent,” said lawyer Gupta. After coming to know about the fraud, Dr Mohan lodged a complaint with the Indian Medical Association in Jan this year, alleging the illegal use of his credentials by the other doctor. He also slapped a legal notice on Dr Sharma.
What also raised eyebrows was that Dr Sharma suddenly stopped attending the heart centre in Feb after being asked to produce his medical degree. “Many patients began enquiring about him and eventually visited the real Dr Pankaj Mohan. When Dr Mohan clarified that he had never worked at the heart centre, the allegations strengthened,” said a doctor at Badshah Khan. Adding another layer to the deception, Dr Sharma maintained a Facebook profile under the name ‘Kshitiz Mohan’ and was listed as the director of a film production company, raising more questions on his medical credentials.
Dr M Pratap Kumar, CMD of Mediterina Hospital who also heads the heart centre at Badshah Khan, confirmed that Dr Sharma had been removed. “He applied through formal HR channels as a general physician. We always had suspicion about his DM (cardiology) degree and acted on it,” he said.
