26 February,2010 09:53 AM IST | | Debarti Palit and Siddhartha Laik
Aundh Civil Hospital doc countersigns fake medical certificate issued by private hospital
It takes Rs 500 and a possible wait of a few hours to get a government health certificate that will falsely show you are unwell, if that is what a person needs to stay away from office or college. MiD DAY discovered this when it approached the Aundh Civil Hospital for a fake certificate to expose the corrupt practice.
Posing as a student seeking the certificate in order to bunk college, a Mid DAY reporter approached the reception at the hospital to enquire if a fake certificate could be obtained. Neither surprised nor shocked at the question, the staff promptly explained what had to be done, as if it were a regular practice at the hospital.
The reporter was asked to meet Dr Bhalekar, who was in a meeting. After almost three hours, Dr Bhalekar came out of his meeting and the requirement for a fake health certificate was explained to him as being most urgent.
He said he would not directly issue the certificate under his name, but if a certificate from an MBBS doctor could be obtained, then he would countersign it.
Meanwhile, another hospital official said that even Dr Nitin Bilolikar, RMO, could issue the certificate, but that he was not in the hospital at that moment. The official added that it was better to get a certificate from a private clinic and then get it countersigned by either Dr Bhalekar or Dr Bilolikar.
The MiD DAY reporter then went to Mahajan Hospital at Sanghvi, and requested a fake certificate for a leg fracture. Dr Mahajan said it was better to go for a disease as procuring fake lab reports was easy. The reporter got a hepatitis certificate that advised three weeks' rest after paying Rs 150 for it. Then it was back to Dr Bhalekar, who asked for Rs 500, but settled for Rs 350. He said, "How can we take less than 500?u00a0 I have to pay Rs 300 to my boss and keep Rs 200 for myself."
The reporter was then asked to meet Dr M C Nagare, the civil surgeon. After a few questions, Dr Nagare signed the certificate. And yes, the peon who had helped with all this with a smile on his face also had to be given Rs 10.
