In a shocking case from Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, a man accused of posing as a doctor and allegedly causing the deaths of at least seven patients at the Mission Hospital has been arrested. The incident has sparked demands for a full-scale investigation and strict government action.
Deepak Tiwari, chairman of the Damoh Child Welfare Committee, has raised serious concerns over the limited scope of the current FIR, which only mentions fake degrees.
“In the FIR, only a case of having fake degrees is mentioned. There is no mention of 7 ‘murders’. There is no mention of the hospital management or the director of the hospital, Dr Ajay Lal. Many such people are involved in it. Lakh of rupees have been taken under Ayushman by defrauding the administration, and there is no mention of such things in the FIR. We want a full investigation into the matter and not just about the fake degrees,” Tiwari told media.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav assured strict and immediate action against the accused and warned of similar scrutiny across the state.
“In the incident, which came to light in Damoh, our government is taking strict action. Our government does not make any delay in taking action against such cases. Our government has built its own credibility. I have instructed that if there is any other such case, the health department should take strict action against them,” CM Yadav said.
An FIR was filed against the accused, identified as N. John Camm, who was arrested from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and is now being brought back to Damoh. The man allegedly performed surgeries such as angiography and angioplasty without proper qualifications or registration.
Damoh Superintendent of Police Shrut Kirti Somavanshi confirmed the arrest:
“Accused doctor N John Camm has been arrested from Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) by our team. He is being brought to Damoh.”
Earlier, CSP Abhishek Tiwari detailed the charges:
“An FIR has been registered at Kotwali Police Station against the accused, who went by the name of Dr. N. John of Mission Hospital, for fraud and presenting fake documents. We received a report from the CMHO, Health Department, that the accused allegedly performed fake surgeries, including angiography and angioplasty. His medical documents were found to be suspicious, which were examined by a team of doctors. Based on their findings, the FIR was lodged.”
The police investigation also revealed that the accused was not registered to practice in Madhya Pradesh, and his supposed registration from Andhra Pradesh could not be verified online.
Victims’ families are now speaking out. Jitendra Singh Rajput, who lost his father following surgery at the hospital, shared his painful experience.
“My name is Jitendra Singh Rajput. I took my father to the hospital as he was experiencing chest pain. The doctors said it was a heart attack and that he needed to be operated on. I told them I did not have money, and they said the Ayushman card could be used,” he recounted.
“He underwent the surgery and when I met him, he told me he wasn’t feeling well… They said it would be fine. Later, they put him on a ventilator,” he added.
Jitendra also revealed that the postmortem was not conducted after hospital staff claimed it was unnecessary.
“The postmortem did not take place because the hospital staff said he had died of a heart attack and there was no need for it… We didn’t file any complaint,” he said.
As outrage grows, questions are being raised about the role of the hospital management, including director Dr. Ajay Lal, and the potential misuse of Ayushman Bharat funds. Families and officials are now demanding accountability, transparency, and justice for the victims.