A recent investigation by Pilibhit’s chief medical officer and city magistrate has uncovered significant statutory violations at multiple private diagnostic centers and nursing homes in the district. The inquiry culminated in a report submitted to the district magistrate on Wednesday, which calls for the immediate sealing of non-compliant facilities.
The report also recommends the cancellation of unauthorized registrations on government portals, alongside potential departmental and legal actions against the involved doctors and management. These measures aim to ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and safeguard patient welfare in the region.
The inquiry followed a complaint submitted to the governor’s office on Sept 2 by Pilibhit resident and PhD student Sumit Saxena against Dr Ravikant Mishra, a contractual, non-PG junior resident at Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC). Officials were unable to verify his 2012 diploma in ultrasound technology from an institute in Kolkata, which is not recognised by the Union or state govt. Dr Jitendra Kumar, an MBBS, MS surgeon, was allegedly conducting antenatal scans at both centres but could not produce the mandatory six-month training certificate required under the 2014 rules.
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During the inspection, conducted by chief medical officer Dr BC Pant and city magistrate Pyare Lal Maurya, officials found that SK Nursing Home on Gandhi Stadium Road had allegedly been operating “without valid registration” after its registration under the Clinical Establishments Act expired on April 30. The report said two subsequent renewal applications filed by operator Rahul Mishra were rejected by the health department over incomplete documents and discrepancies in the facility’s name. The report held the operator and Ravikant responsible for alleged “negligence”. Postal authorities returned correspondence sent to the institute, citing an incomplete address and stating that “no such person existed”, the report said.
Saxena accused Mishra of running unauthorised diagnostic facilities and practising on the basis of questionable credentials. Despite lacking valid registration, the nursing home allegedly admitted and treated a patient whose condition deteriorated during a dilation and curettage procedure in July. The inquiry also raised questions over Ravikant’s medical credentials. Officials also found that a one-year experience certificate issued by a clinic in Sultanpur overlapped with the period of the Kolkata diploma, raising suspicion of forged or fabricated documents. The report also alleged that Mishra was associated with multiple diagnostic centres in violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, which restricts doctors from registering at more than two centres within a district. It also noted that his govt service contract prohibited private practice. Alleged PC-PNDT violations were also flagged at New R K Diagnostic Centre in Jahanabad and R K R Diagnostic Centre in Madhotanda. Officials also flagged safety and infrastructure concerns at the Jahanabad centre, including unhygienic and slippery ramps leading to the restroom used by pregnant patients, lack of air-conditioning and absence of doctor signage. At the Indian Ultrasound Centre in Bilsanda, officials found that the facility had displayed the names of doctors who were allegedly barred from conducting scans at private establishments beyond their authorised limits. Download the TOI App.