A BA graduate posing as a surgeon was arrested in Ambedkarnagar, Uttar Pradesh after a 28 year old woman died following a C section at an illegal clinic. The unauthorised facility had reportedly been running for years without registration or medical qualifications, raising serious concerns about quackery and healthcare regulation in India.
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In a deeply disturbing case from Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkarnagar district, police have arrested a 32 year old Bachelor of Arts graduate and his 19 year old aide for allegedly posing as trained medical professionals and running an illegal clinic where major surgical procedures were carried out. The case came to light after a 28 year old pregnant woman died following a Caesarean section performed at the unauthorised facility in Baskhari area.
The accused, identified as Yogesh Verma and Shubham Vishwakarma, had reportedly been operating the Navjeevan Clinic on Azamgarh Road for several years without mandatory registration or approval from health authorities. Despite lacking recognised medical qualifications or surgical training, the facility allegedly functioned as a full fledged hospital where serious procedures including C sections were routinely conducted.
According to police officials, the illegal operation was exposed after the death of the pregnant woman on February 5. The woman delivered a baby girl during the surgery but soon developed severe complications due to excessive bleeding and later died. Preliminary investigation revealed that the surgery had been performed by Yogesh Verma, whose highest qualification is a BA degree, while the 19 year old assistant helped during the procedure.
Neither of the accused possessed any formal medical training or licence to practice medicine. Following the incident, the health department conducted an inspection and found that the clinic was operating in gross violation of medical norms and without any valid registration. The premises were immediately sealed and a criminal case was registered. Both accused were arrested and sent to judicial custody.
What makes this case particularly alarming is that the clinic had allegedly been running for years and was functioning like a full fledged hospital. Major surgical procedures including Caesarean sections were reportedly being performed regularly. This raises serious questions about regulatory oversight and enforcement by local health authorities.
It is difficult to imagine that such a setup could continue operating for years without either the knowledge or negligence of authorities. The incident highlights the widespread problem of unregistered clinics and quacks in rural and semi urban India where access to qualified healthcare professionals is limited and patients often fall prey to untrained individuals posing as doctors.
This is not merely a case of one quack pretending to be a surgeon. This is a systemic failure. When an illegal clinic performs major surgeries like C sections for years, it means the regulatory machinery has either collapsed or chosen to look away.
Every time such an incident occurs, the immediate blame falls on the quack. But the bigger question remains unanswered. Where were the health authorities? Where were the inspections? How did a facility without registration, licence, or qualified staff continue to function openly as a hospital?
As a doctor, it is frustrating to see unqualified individuals performing surgeries and putting lives at risk while qualified doctors face excessive legal scrutiny, violence, and administrative pressure. There must be strict accountability not only for those running illegal clinics but also for officials who fail to detect and shut them down in time.
Quackery is not just an isolated criminal act. It is a public health crisis. In many parts of India, unqualified practitioners continue to provide injections, medicines, and even perform surgeries due to lack of awareness among patients and weak enforcement by authorities. Patients often trust these setups due to proximity, affordability, or ignorance of medical standards.
However, the cost of this trust can be fatal. Surgical procedures like Caesarean sections require trained surgeons, anaesthetists, sterile operation theatres, blood transfusion facilities, and emergency backup. Performing such procedures without training or infrastructure is nothing short of playing with human life.
Authorities have stated that investigation is ongoing and efforts are being made to identify other unregistered establishments in the region. This should not remain a routine statement issued after every tragedy. There must be proactive surveillance, strict enforcement, and periodic audits of private healthcare facilities.
Public awareness is equally important. Patients must verify the credentials of doctors and ensure that clinics and hospitals are registered with appropriate authorities. Healthcare cannot be left in the hands of untrained individuals masquerading as professionals.
This case should serve as a wake up call. Unless strict action is taken and accountability fixed at every level, such tragedies will continue to occur and innocent patients will keep paying with their lives.
Source: Times of India, Hindustan Times
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