Fake doctor held in Beed's Borgaon after health department raid

A case of a bogus doctor has come to light in Kaij taluka of Beed district. The health department took action at Borgaon on October 27 and detained Vilas Ban. According to the department, he had no medical education and was treating patients on the strength of a fake certificate.

The department had received a tip-off that a man in Borgaon was practising as a doctor without medical education, on the basis of a forged certificate. The department planned action on the information. A team of Block Development Officer Vitthal Nagargoje, Taluka Health Officer Dr Munde and Health Extension Officer Chhaya Jadhav then reached Borgaon with police and raided the place.

The raid found that Vilas Ban had no government-recognised educational qualification, degree or registration required to treat patients, yet he was treating them. The team detained him and handed him over to the police. Various medicines and equipment used in treatment were also seized from him.

Proceedings are under way to register a case at Kaij police station on the complaint of Dr Munde.

The incident has raised questions about the health system in rural areas. The man is said to have been practising for several days, and people are asking why the health department did not learn of it earlier.

The district collector had issued directions for action against fake doctors, and the health department appears to have moved only after that. Demands are also being raised for an inquiry into why such cases were not noticed in time, even though health department staff and officials work at the village level.

Taluka Health Officer Dr Munde has appealed to people to inform the health department if they find anyone in Kaij taluka or nearby areas practising as a doctor without medical qualifications. The informant's name will be kept confidential.

After the Borgaon action, attention now turns to what the police investigation finds and what action the health department takes against other fake doctors in the area.