Dattatraya Sadashiv Pawar, from Pandharpur, Maharashtra, was arrested for posing as a qualified doctor for more than 3 years. Pawar was a 10th-grade pass-out who had been running a fake clinic and treating 70-80 patients daily, even those with diabetes and bone disorders.
Pawar had opened his own clinic shortly after completing a brief 4-day training in Satara. He had been treating patients for a consultation fee of Rs. 500, without any medical qualification or license and proper medical training. Despite his limited knowledge, many locals trusted him for their medical needs but were not aware that he lacked a medical degree to practice as a doctor.
Apart from operating his clinic in Pandharpur, Pawar continued to deceive many people by expanding his medical services to treat patients in Shegaon.
It took 3 years for this illegal issue to be noticed after the concerned residents alerted the health department due to the suspicions regarding his medical practices. Pawar was arrested after a raid was conducted by the police and municipal authorities. It was confirmed that he neither held a proper medical license nor had qualifications, which eventually led to the shutting down of his clinic.
After the raid, a full-fledged investigation is being done to reveal the full extent of Pawar’s activities and also to check if there are any other fake doctors in the same area.
The community is in shock and is urging for stricter regulations to ensure the safety of patients and to prevent such quack doctors.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr. Nethra Suryanarayanan/MSM)