FIR filed against Bongaigaon doctor over alleged use of fake medical registration number

Bongaigaon, Nov 23: A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against a practising doctor here for allegedly using a registration number not issued in his name. Dr S Sartazuddin, MD (Russia), has reportedly been practising for the past 24 years at a private hospital - Dr Agarwala's SM Hospital and at his own clinic, Sartaj Manzil, in Jyoti Nagar. Several patients are said to have benefited from his treatment over the years.

However, on November 3, Dr Abhijit Neog, Anti-Quackery and Vigilance Officer of the Assam Council of Medical Registration, filed a report from Guwahati at the Bongaigaon Police Station against Dr Sartazuddin. The report alleges that the registration number '23577' used by Dr Sartazuddin was originally issued to Dr Faroon Ahmad Donoo, a medical graduate from St Petersburg University, Russia (2000 batch), and a resident of Nehru Park near Dal Lake in Srinagar, in 2002 by the then Medical Council of India (now defunct).

Furthermore, Dr Neog stated that the same registration number (23577) under the Assam Council of Medical Registration was issued to Dr Pratyush Koonjan Kaushik in 2016.

Since neither record reflects the name of Dr Sartazuddin, Dr Neog expressed suspicion over the authenticity of his medical degree and requested police action.

Accordingly, police have initiated proceedings, and the doctor is currently absconding. When contacted, his relatives claimed he had stayed in Russia for an extended period and pursued medical studies there, but they were unable to provide clarity on the disputed registration number.