Unveiling South Delhi's Medical Scam
In Delhi's upscale Greater Kailash area, a shocking incident has been uncovered involving two doctors, a woman impersonating a surgeon, a laboratory technician, and the unfortunate deaths of several patients. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the fatalities of two patients who underwent surgeries at a clinic in this South Delhi neighborhood.
On Tuesday, Delhi Police reported the arrest of three individuals - Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, his wife Pooja Agarwal, and Dr. Jaspreet Singh - along with former laboratory technician Mahender Singh.
In 2022, the police reported that Asghar Ali, a patient admitted for gallbladder treatment, was initially informed that the surgery would be conducted by Dr. Jaspreet, a qualified surgeon. However, shortly before the operation, Dr. Jaspreet was substituted with Pooja and Mahendra, according to the authorities.
Following his departure from the operating room, Mr. Ali reportedly endured severe pain and was swiftly transported to Safdarjung Hospital. Unfortunately, upon arrival, he was pronounced dead.
The families of the patients alleged that Dr. Agarwal, who operates the Agarwal Medical Centre, along with three others, conducted surgeries on vital organs without adhering to established medical protocols. The complainants claim that Dr. Agarwal, despite being a physician, performed a diverse range of surgeries using allegedly forged documents.
The investigation into the case has revealed that since 2016, there have been a minimum of nine complaints filed against Dr. Agarwal, Pooja, and the Agarwal Medical Centre. According to the police, in all seven instances, patients succumbed to death due to medical negligence, as reported by the news agency PTI.
On November 1, a team of four doctors examined the medical center, finding many issues. Deputy Commissioner of Police Chandan Chowdhary stated that the investigation uncovered Dr. Agarwal's consistent pattern of falsifying documents related to patients' treatment and surgery.
The police seized 414 prescription slips featuring only doctors' signatures, leaving significant blank space at the top. They also confiscated two registers containing patient details for medical termination of pregnancy procedures performed at the clinic. Furthermore, a variety of prohibited medications and injections, not authorized for storage outside hospital settings, were found.
In their search, the police retrieved expired surgical blades, original prescription slips of numerous patients, checkbooks from 47 different banks, 54 ATM cards from various banks, passbooks from multiple post offices, and six credit card machines from both Agarwal's residence and clinic.
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