VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) is grappling with a growing crisis as fake doctors in several states misuse its name and forge registration certificates.
In recent incidents, fraudulent documents claiming affiliation with the APMC have surfaced in Kerala, Haryana, and, most notably, in Madhya Pradesh, where a bogus doctor was allegedly involved in multiple patient deaths.
Over the past year, the APMC received two emails from Kerala and four from Haryana seeking verification of registration details. After thorough checks, the council found all six registrations to be fake and formally alerted the respective state medical councils.
However, the issue escalated when a man posing as a doctor under the name Dr N John Kem, whose actual identity is reportedly Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, was arrested in Damoh of Madhya Pradesh. He had been working at a private missionary hospital, where failed surgeries reportedly led to the deaths of seven patients. During the investigation, documents surfaced suggesting he was registered with the APMC.
Following an inquiry from the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday, APMC officials reexamined their records and confirmed the certificates were fabricated. The council immediately informed the NMC and alerted district authorities and nursing council officials across Andhra Pradesh.
Confirming the developments, APMC Registrar Dr I Ramesh told TNIE that the council had received an email in November 2023 from someone identifying himself as Dr John Kem. The individual claimed to have registered with the APMC in August 2006 with an MBBS degree and requested a no-objection certificate to transfer his registration to Kerala.
“Upon checking our records, we found no such registration. We responded, asking him to appear in person with proper documentation. There was no response after that,” Dr Ramesh revealed.
After the arrest in Madhya Pradesh, the NMC sent a formal letter to the APMC seeking full details based on the registration number provided by the accused. Dr Ramesh said the number matched the fake details sent in the earlier email.
Digital copies of the certificate submitted by the accused did not match official APMC certificates issued in 2006. “Even though he was not registered with us, he created a fake certificate and attempted to pass it off as genuine,” Dr Ramesh said.
He also acknowledged that the council had received similar inquiries from Kerala and Haryana in the past. The APMC is now actively contacting district medical officers and nursing councils across the State, urging them to verify any doubtful registrations directly with the council.