Chennai, Nov 6 (BPNS)
Two doctors including a government service doctor are facing action by the Tamil Nadu medical council for issuing fake life certificates after their passing away.
According to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, a lady doctor, Dr. R. Shanthini, who is serving as Assistant Surgeon with the Royapettah Government Hospital, Chennai issued a life certificate to R. Krishnakumar on January 10, 2018. The man had taken his life by committing suicide in July 2015.
Krishnakumar’s wife lodged a complaint with the medical council of Tamil Nadu that the property in his name was sold by his relatives two days after the Government doctor issued ‘life certificate’ for her husband. While his wife was the legal heir, the property of the deceased person was sold by his relatives using the ‘life certificate’ issued by the doctor.
In another incident, R. Vinoth Kumar of Bangalore filed a complaint with the medical council of Tamil Nadu that Dr. K.P. Badriprasad who has private clinic in Hosur, Tamil Nadu conspired with one Narasimhan and issued ‘life certificate’ to two women, Sabitha. J and Shylaja Jayasurya, a year after the Bruthat Bengaluru Mahanagare Palike( BBMP) issued death certificate to them.
While Sabitha passed away on October 16, 2019, her mother Shylaja died on July 18, 2020. However, according to the complainant, Dr.K.P. Badriprasad issued ‘life certificates’ to them on September 7 ,2020.
The complainant in the petition said that the ‘life certificate’ was used for the purpose of registration of documents based on a power of attorney.
The Tamil Nadu Medical council president, Dr. K. Senthil issued notice to both the Doctors. Dr. Senthil while speaking to BPNS said, “ These complaints come under misconduct and are gross violations of TN Medical Council code of ethics( professional etiquettes and ethics) “.
Dr.K.P. Badriprasad in his reply to the Medical council said that he was cheated and conned by one Narasimhan who had brought two look-alike women to his clinic. He said that due to pandemic he was using a face mask and the women were at a distance of six feet and in between, there was a plastic partition and hence he was not properly able to recognize the women at that distance.
Dr. Senthil said that the Tamil Nadu Medical Council is planning to conduct awareness programmes to doctors on such matters of issuing fake ‘life certificates’ to dead people and said that other than losing their license to practice the profession they may be charged with criminal cases also.
