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Sassoon Hospital’s fake certificate case likely to get suppressed

  • Enquiry committee has not submitted the report even after 2 years !
  • Able persons may have availed Government benefits through fake disability certificates in the State
  • Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s Surajya Abhiyan coordinator Mr Abhishek Murukate revealed the scam through the information obtained from the RTI

Mumbai – In May 2022, a shocking case was revealed in Pune in which some officials in the Orthopaedic Department of Sassoon Hospital were involved in issuing fake disability certificates. The Government also constituted a three-member committee in June 2022 to probe the matter; however, the shocking fact that the enquiry report has not been disclosed even after 2 years has been revealed by the information obtained by Mr Abhishek Murukate, the coordinator of Surajya Abhiyan of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, through Right to Information (RTI). Therefore, the question arises whether the guilty medical officers are being covered up in this case.

The Department of Medical Education also sent letters to the Commissioner of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research on 2 occasions in July and October 2022 on behalf of the Government to ‘submit an enquiry report regarding this matter, but the enquiry report has not yet come forward. MLA Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Association has filed a complaint with the Department of Medical Education in this regard. Based on this complaint, the Department of Medical Education wrote to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research on 1st June 2022 and instructed to re-verify the fake certificates. The commissioner has also been directed to appoint a committee to enquire into the matter and submit to the Government the names of the officials who issued fake certificates; however, the fact that no further action has been taken on such a serious case has come forward from the RTI.

Click the below images to view the information obtained under RTI in Marathi language.

Debate in the Assembly, but no action !

BJP MLA Madhuri Misal and MLA Sunil Kamble raised a star question in the Legislative Assembly on 18th August 2022. While replying to this question, the then Minister of Medical Education Girish Mahajan said that it is true that the fake certificates were issued in Sassoon Hospital; however, no action has been taken in this matter despite raising voice in the assembly.

Government jobs filled up without validating certificates by Government hospitals !

Disability benefits under Government schemes are expected only after verification of disability certificate issued by private or aided hospitals; however, this case has also exposed the mismanagement of disability certificates by Government hospitals. Therefore, the Government has also instructed the commissioner to start the process of re-verification of the certificates. In the wake of this situation, there are talks of the possibility that other private or aided hospitals in the State, including those in Pune, of having issued fake disability certificates to able persons to avail the benefits of the schemes meant for the disabled.

How did this scam happen ?

Persons with 40% or more disability are given the benefit of reservation in Government jobs and Government schemes. Some Medical Officers of Orthopaedic Department of Sassoon Hospital lured persons with disability who visited them for inclusion in Government jobs and took bribes from them and issued them fake certificates showing false increase in percentage of disability.

Real disabled remain deprived of benefits : Surajya Abhiyan

Mr Abhishek Murukate

‘Surajya Abhiyan has complained about this to the Minister of Medical Education and the Commissioner of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research on 8th May. It is very sad and concerning that even after 2 years there is no enquiry on a sensitive topic like persons with disabilities. The real serious matter is ineligible disabled persons availing Government job or Government benefit through fake certificate, while the real disabled persons are deprived of these benefits. Therefore, the investigation should be completed immediately and strict action should be taken against the culprits’, Surajya Abhiyan demanded.

Editorial Perspective

Government should take strict action against the culprits !

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