A taste of their own medicine: Eight get jail terms in fake doctors’ case

The case came to limelight in 2009 when four doctors were found to have forged documents.

RAWALPINDI:

The former medical superintendent of District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital was convicted on Saturday for appointing doctors with fake MBBS degrees.

Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court Malik Nazeer Ahmed convicted eight people, including former medical superintendent of DHQ Hospital, Dr Khalid Iqbal, for inducting “fake” doctors in 2009.

The court however acquitted five co-accused, including three female doctors and the former deputy MS of the hospital, for want of evidence against them.

Three brothers Syed Salahuddin, Syed Naseeruddin, Syed Allauddin were appointed as doctors on fake MBBS degrees. A former nurse, Riffat Shaheen, also used a fake degree to get her job. All four have been sentenced to five years in jail. Dr Iqbal too has been sentenced for five years.

Each of the convicts will have to pay Rs200,000 as fine. In case of default, they will have to face one extra month of incarceration.

The court also sentenced former head clerk of the DHQ Hospital, Muhammad Irfan, to four years jail for preparing forged documents and typing appointment letters for these people. The former clerk, Irfan, has to pay Rs100,000 as fine and in case of default he will remain in jail for one more month.

Asif Ayub, former accounts officer of the hospital, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for issuing pay slips to the fake doctors and releasing their salaries. The convict has to pay Rs100,000 as fine and in case of non-payment he will stay another month in jail.

The former assistant registrar of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council was also convicted for issuing no objection certificates (NOC) to the doctors with fake degree to become medical practitioners after getting the license. He has to pay Rs75,000 in fine and in case of default he has to face one month jail.

The court gave the convicts the benefit of section 382-B of criminal procedure code, under which their incarceration during the trial period will form part of the sentenced duration.

Former deputy MS of DHQ Hospital Dr Bilal Arshad, former director finance Rawalpindi Medical Colleges and Allied Hospitals Muhammad Rasheed Akhtar and three female doctors, Mobin Akhtar, Mariam Waqar and Romana Masood were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The case against the 13 people was registered on October 17, 2009 on the complaint of the then secretary health Punjab Anwar Ahmed. This was after the media had highlighted the scam of appointment of doctors with fake MBBS degrees.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2011.