BENGALURU: The Karnataka Medical Council has written to the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take action against Dr Apoorva Shah and Dr Sonal Shah, founders of Richfeel Trichology Centres in India, for allegedly running 90 trichology clinics across the country without licences and with unqualified doctors. KMC has ordered the district health officer of Bangalore district to take action as per the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act and send a report by September 4. Richfeel has nine centres in the city.
Trichology is the branch of medical and cosmetic study and practice concerned with hair and scalp.
On August 6, in a letter to the MCI secretary, a copy of which is with The New Indian Express, KMC registrar Dr BPS Murthy wrote, “They are running 90 clinics across India. These clinics are not registered... under the Private Medical Establishment Act. The qualifications of the doctors for carrying out procedures is also not as per the Medical Council of India schedules. Kindly investigate the matter.”
The letter adds that the doctors are qualified in homeopathy and are registered with the Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy. “Dr Apoorva claimed that he has qualification from the UK and International Association of Trichology, Australia, apart from his basic qualification in homeopathy.”
It adds that his clinic in Bengaluru is not registered under the Act. “Dr Apoorva said he is not aware of the procedure for registration under KPME... He claimed there are 20 centres doing hair transplantation where MD and MS qualified doctors are appointed. He has not submitted his certificates regarding qualification pertaining to International Association of Trichology, Australia, or qualification obtained from the UK.”
KMC president Dr H Veerabhadrappa said, “They (Shahs) are homeopaths but are doing hair transplants for those suffering from baldness. They haven’t produced their qualifications to do these surgeries. None of their clinics are registered. We have sent the order given to the district health officer of Bengaluru to the Union Health Ministry and MCI as well to investigate their clinics.”
Seema Singh Bhadoria, CEO of Richfeel Trichology Centre, said, “We are in the process of registering our clinics with the KMC. In other states, our clinics are registered under the Shop and Establishment Act. Karnataka requires a separate registration for clinics and this letter comes as a shock to us. Both Dr Apoorva and Dr Sonal and doctors working at Richfeel are qualified to do hair transplants.”