In a cold case of medical fraud, recently a man posing as a British cardiologist has been accused of performing unauthorized heart surgeries at a Christian missionary hospital in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, killing at least seven people.
The man, whose real name is reportedly Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, adopted the fake name Dr N. John Kem claimed to be from the UK. Under this fabricated identity, he secured a position at the hospital and started operating on patients, some of whom tragically lost their lives after the procedure.
Victims and survivors come forward
According to Deepak Tiwari, a lawyer and district president of the Child Welfare Committee, the death toll could be more than the official figure of seven. He said that several patients have come forward to tell their stories after escaping the scam.
Some patients who did not die came to us and told us about the incident that they had taken their father to the hospital. The guy was ready to operate, but they were apprehensive, so they took their father to Jabalpur. We then learned that this fake doctor was working at the hospital. The real guy is in Britain, and this guy's name is Narendra Yadav.
Deepak Tiwari, Lawyer and District president of the Child Welfare Committee
Tiwari also revealed that Yadav has a criminal history, including a previous case in Hyderabad, and that he failed to provide identification documents while performing his medical role.
Government-backed hospital under scrutiny
The missionary hospital where Yadav was employed is not just any facility, it is also allegedly affiliated with the Ayushman Bharat scheme, a major government program that provides free healthcare to millions of people in India.
National Human Rights Commission member Priyanka Kanoongo said:
"We got a complaint that a fake doctor has performed surgery on patients in the missionary hospital. We were also told that the missionary hospital is also involved with the Ayushman Bharat scheme and taking money from the government for it. This is a serious complaint; we have taken cognisance of the matter, and an investigation is currently going on."
Repeat offender? Previous public actions raise eyebrows.
This is not the first time that Yadav has tried to pass himself off as Dr. Kem. In July 2023, a social media post surfaced in which he posed as the same fake doctor and urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to send him to France to "help stop the riots" then taking place there.
Dr. Munish Raizada posted on social media platform X regarding the matter:
"Cardiology holds the CARDINAL place in medical sciences. Even a properly fellowship- trained (or, DM) cardiologist will tread the path with utmost seriousness and caution to decipher the rhythms of heart-diseases (akhir, dil ka maamla hai).
However, this Fake and Imposter guy chose Cardiology (among all the specialities available to 'practice'). He is Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, alias Dr N John Kamm. He has worked in Apollo hospital and now in news for missionary Hosp, Damoh in MP. Shocking lapses in our system."
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)
