A 27-year-old man accused of practising medicine without a recognised medical degree was taken into custody after a joint inspection by health officials and Panvel taluka police at a clinic in Kasalkhand village, according to a report by Loksatta. The inspection found that the man was treating patients and storing medicines despite allegedly lacking the qualifications required to practise as a doctor.
The action followed concerns raised by villagers who suspected the man’s claim of being a doctor. Residents brought the matter to the attention of medical officers at the Aajivali Primary Health Centre, after which the health department and police began an inquiry.
Police and health officials inspected the clinic at about 2.15 p.m. on Monday. The man was identified as 27-year-old Nurul Huda Imamul Haq. During the inspection, medical officials found that he did not possess a medical degree required to practise medicine, the report said. A stock of medicines was also found at the premises.
According to the report, Haq had opened the clinic in Kasalkhand around one-and-a-half months before the inspection. Preliminary police inquiries also indicated that he allegedly visited patients at their homes when called for treatment. Police are examining how many people he may have treated and the source of the medicines found at the clinic.
A complaint was received by Panvel taluka police station senior inspector Gajanan Ghadge, who directed assistant police inspector Ananda Harugade to investigate the matter. Following the inspection, a case was registered against Haq under Sections 33(1) and 33(2) of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961.
The report said Haq currently lives in a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority building at the Indiabulls Society in Kon, and is originally from West Bengal. The police and health department action was initiated after local residents raised the qualification-related concerns.
The investigation will determine the extent of the alleged medical practice, including the number of patients treated outside the clinic and the source of the medicine stock, according to the report. Further details about the case and any additional action by the authorities were not available in the source report.
