In November 2023, south Delhi physician Neeraj Agarwal was arrested after a primary data report was filed towards his medical facility, Agarwal Medical Centre, and several other different complaints in circumstances that concerned the deaths of 15 folks.
Additionally Learn: Bihar teen dies after ‘pretend physician’ conducts surgical procedure utilizing YouTube tutorial: Report
On October 25, 2023, the FIR was registered on expenses of culpable murder, destruction of proof and legal conspiracy, amongst different sections of the Indian Penal Code. Agarwal was arrested on November 14, 2023. He was given bail by the Delhi excessive courtroom in August 2024.
Now out on bail, Agarwal seems to haven’t solely reopened the Agarwal Medical Centre in GK-1 but in addition allegedly opened up a second facility, Life Line Hospital in Kalkaji and returned to practising medication there, in accordance with visits, eyewitness statements, images and paperwork seen by HT.
Additionally Learn: After pretend multi-speciality hospital, one other bogus hospital sealed in Ahmedabad
When apprised of the matter, deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan mentioned, “We’re inquiring into the matter”.
When contacted Agarwal mentioned that he was allowed to observe medication and the hospital was being run by his father. “The lease is in my title however we’ve rented the premises to my father and he’s operating the hospital” he mentioned.
Additionally Learn: Officers bust pretend hospital in Manesar, arrest man impersonating physician
When requested in regards to the operations of Agarwal Medical Centre, he denied it was operational. “It’s presently shut” he mentioned.
HT noticed the lease deed paperwork of the Kalkaji property, which had been within the names of Neeraj Agarwal and his spouse Pooja Agarwal, a highschool graduate who was additionally arrested by police in 2023. The GK-I property can also be owned by Agarwal, in accordance with police paperwork within the 2023 case.
Police mentioned the GK-1 facility preyed on sufferers from lower-middle class backgrounds and operated on them dangerously, after the victims had been lured by a mixture of low-cost costs and the credibility that got here from being situated in a South Delhi neighbourhood. Aside from the Agarwals, the police arrested Mahender Singh, their lab technician, and Jaspreet Singh Bajwa, a health care provider who labored in a personal hospital however allegedly ready pretend surgical procedure notes.
After the arrests in 2023, the centre shut down.
However 15 months later, the centre seems to be again up and operating. When HT visited the Agarwal Medical Centre in GK-I on March 28 round 2pm, a younger girl was discovered sitting behind the reception desk whereas the centre was empty. “The centre is absolutely useful,” she mentioned when requested if it’s nonetheless operating.
Rajiv Kakria, member of the GK-I resident welfare affiliation, confirmed that the centre was open and residents reported in WhatsApp group that they’ve seen touts bringing in sufferers late at night time to the ability. “Residents mentioned the centre is operating in a clandestine method. Residents have seen touts bringing in sufferers and have additionally confronted Neeraj and Pooja however nothing has occurred,” he mentioned. In a video shot by native residents and given to HT by the RWA, an autorickshaw purportedly bringing sufferers to the ability will be seen.
On March 28, HT visited Life Line hospital in Kalkaji’s Okay-Block, situated in a market, with three residential flooring above the premises. A board with the phrases ‘Life Line Hospital’ on it stood exterior the ability, together with two cell phone numbers.
In a second board inside, Neeraj Agarwal was listed as a “senior guide” and Pooja Agarwal as managing director. One other board exterior listed the companies the services provided which included “laparoscopic stone surgical procedure, supply/operation/abortion, hernia/appendix/ hydrocele, piles/fissure/ fistula, diabetes/hypertension, fever/stomach ache/free movement, blood transfusion/respiratory issues, prostate surgical procedure/ urinary obstruction, ovarian cyst/uterus elimination”. The identical companies had been provided at Agarwal Medical Centre earlier than the accused had been arrested in November 2023.
The Kalkaji hospital has 12 beds and an operation theatre, mentioned a neighborhood resident who went inside the ability and requested anonymity.
When HT visited the Life Line Hospital on March 28 at 1.15pm, Agarwal and Mahender Singh had been attending to sufferers. A 25-year-old man, whom HT took alongside, complained of abdomen ache. Agarwal and Mahender Singh attended to the person. Neeraj checked him and suggested an ultrasound to “rule out stones”. Mahender mentioned “might additionally rule out appendix” through the session.
Mahender, in accordance with the police, used to pose as a health care provider, converse in fluent English, and carry out 1000’s of surgical procedures with out a medical diploma. He’s a Class 12 passout, in accordance with a police probe.
Agarwal charged ₹500 for the session, wrote a prescription with painkillers, handed two strips of medicines, and charged ₹250 for them. The reporter paid ₹750 utilizing a QR code, which said that the cash was going to “Agarwal Medical Centre”.
The prescription talked about that Life Line Hospital was “Delhi Medical Council Regd”. However the registration quantity was not talked about. In keeping with the code of medical ethics regulation, 2002, it’s necessary for medical doctors to write down the DMC registration quantity on their prescription slips.
There have been a number of sufferers inside the ability when HT visited.
Officers on the DMC mentioned that Agarwal’s medical license was cancelled for a 12 months in September 2024 however he later challenged it within the nationwide medical council (NMC) and a call was pending. “Decided vide order dated tenth September, 2024, It was additionally determined to take away the title of Dr Neeraj Agarwal (Delhi Medical Council Registration No.4402) in addition to that of Dr D.C. Agarwal (Dinesh Chandra, Delhi Medical Council Registration No.4064) from the state medical register of the Delhi Medical Council for a interval of three hundred and sixty five days every,” learn the order, handed on grievance 3986 towards Agarwal.
After DMC offers the order of suspension of a health care provider’s licence, the individual is given two months’ time to attraction to NMC. Until the attraction is set, the DMC verdict is taken into account not relevant, a DMC official mentioned.
An inventory of medical doctors positioned on the higher floor flooring inside the ability had Agarwal’s title in third place, with the outline “MBBS, MD (Safdarjung Hospital)” and designation as “senior guide”. His father, Dr DC Agarwal, was primary on the checklist, additionally described as a senior guide, with the levels “MBBS, DA”.
On the bottom flooring of the ability, there have been 5 rooms. In considered one of them, Pooja Agarwal was talked about on a reputation plate as managing director. HT has images corroborating these.
In its bail order for Agarwal and his spouse Pooja, one of many situations imposed by the excessive courtroom was that the duo was “to not indulge within the enterprise of operating any medical centre.”
When the Agarwals had been arrested in 2023, police mentioned at the very least seven complaints towards Agarwal Medical Centre had been despatched to DMC, through which households of victims alleged loss of life by negligence. On at the very least three events previously, DMC had suspended his medical licence.
Police registered a case on October 25, 2023 primarily based on a grievance by Nasibun Nisha, a resident of Sangam Vihar, whose husband died of alleged medical negligence at Agarwal Medical Centre.
On September 19 in 2022, Ali died throughout a surgical procedure — whereas being operated upon, allegedly, by Mahender, the lab technician who seems to have returned to work in Kalkaji.
The household instructed police that earlier than the surgical procedure, Agarwal mentioned that it might be carried out by Jaspreet Singh, a surgeon, however later allegedly changed him with Mahender. The complainant alleged that she got here to know later that Mahender and Pooja – each described by the centre as holding medical levels – weren’t medical doctors.
The alleged surgical procedures had been carried out at Agarwal Medical Centre in GK-I, mentioned the police in its FIR.
On September 9, 2022, the household of 27-year-old Kiran Devi, a resident of Mahipalpur, alleged that attributable to medical negligence throughout a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (surgical procedure for elimination of gallbladder stones), she died. The household additionally instructed police that the medical doctors didn’t observe due process.
After the arrest in 2023, at the very least 17 different folks approached police informing them of the alleged medical negligence by Agarwal and his associates. On the time, Agarwal denied all expenses, and mentioned he adopted process.
Rajan Thakur, 42, a resident of Jaitpur, who had misplaced his 15-month-old son in Might 2019 after Agarwal allegedly operated on the boy, mentioned he had heard that the physician was launched on bail and was constructing a hospital. “After he was arrested, I had approached the Delhi Medical Council with my grievance. They’ve referred to as me 4 instances since then however didn’t punish this man. He mustn’t have been given bail,” mentioned Thakur.
(With inputs from Ridhima Gupta)
