A controversy is buzzing on the internet after an Ayurvedic Doctor with a fake medical degree was awarded the ‘Ayurveda Seva Ratna’ award at a conference in Surat.
The award was presented by Minister Praful Panseriya during ‘Vande Ayukon-3 '. The event was organised on October 4 with the support of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Navsari SOG arrested Natwargir in 2024 and sent him to jail for allegedly operating an unauthorised facility named Shiv Ayurvedic Hospital, where he practised medicine without a licence under the guise of providing traditional treatments.
According to the reports, there was a meeting organised by other doctors in Surat after the controversy happened. Doctors explained their concerns in the said meeting.
According to a report by Bhaskar English, Dr Rajnikant Patel said, “The registration number submitted by Natwargiri, who is a bogus doctor, was rather strange. Therefore, it is not possible that this happened by mistake.”
The Minister said that the award was withdrawn and those who are involved in the “mistake” will be held responsible.
The Minister Praful Panseriya had earlier stated that awarding someone with a fake degree is a huge breach of trust. Amid the social media controversy, the award was taken back from Natwargiri.
According to Dr. Rajnikant Patel, investigations have exposed that Natwargiri's Maharashtra BAMS degree was a total fraud.
The council president earlier used this degree in news reports to protect Natwargiri, but officials now prove it is fake. Dr. Patel also added that the selection process for the awards was done online.
Dr. Patel noted that interested Ayurvedic physicians had to register through an online portal to qualify for the award.
However, the council’s media briefing also confirmed that the selections came directly from these submissions.
Dr. Patel criticised the mistake and questioned how such a massive oversight could happen in front of the Deputy Chief Minister and the Health Minister and approximately 1200 doctors from all over Gujarat.
He insisted that this was an intentional act rather than an accident; he also demanded immediate and severe disciplinary action against the organisers.
Questions have been raised about Natwargiri’s Maharashtra BAMS Degree. The document shows a discrepancy between several dates that are mentioned in the degree.
The document mentions that the examination was taken in 2022. The degree states 2024 as the date when it was issued, but it also mentions 2025 at the very end, which makes the authenticity of the degree even more suspicious.
Officials also checked with the Gujarat and Maharashtra Ayurvedic Councils, and no official registration or record corresponding to the number on the degree was found.
Even with such big discrepancies, the matter was not verified at the senior level.
Under Section 30 of the Gujarat Medical Practitioners Act, unregistered doctors face a ₹500 fine for a first offence, six months in jail plus a ₹500 fine for a second, and two years in prison alongside a ₹2,000 fine for a third violation.
Additionally, out-of-state doctors must register with the Gujarat Medical Council within the required deadline to practice legally. Under the Clinical Establishments Act, any hospital or clinic violating these regulations faces separate fines ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹5 lakh.
According to the reports, Dr. Chetan Sakhiya of the Ayurvedic Doctors Association said that it was an unforgivable mistake that a doctor with a fake degree was presented with an award that was given by the honourable Health Minister.
He added, “Today, after clearing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), students are increasingly choosing Ayurveda, even over self-financed MBBS courses. Ayurveda should reach society through a scientific approach. If the council itself gives a platform to people without recognised degrees, it will send the wrong message to students pursuing their education.”
Local doctors in Surat have demanded that the SOG find quack doctors in the Ayurvedic sector and take serious action against them.
(Rh/ARC)