Gujarat Medical Council suspends licences of three doctors for misconduct, negligence

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) has suspended the medical practice licences of three doctors from Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Gir Somnath in separate cases, citing misconduct, misrepresentation of qualifications and alleged medical negligence. The suspension periods range from six months to one year.The decisions were taken during GMC committee meetings held in Jan and Feb under the chairmanship of Dr Nitin Vora.According to a press release issued by Dr Mahesh Patel, a member of the GMC executive council, Dr Bhargav Patel, who runs a multispecialty hospital in the Science City area of Ahmedabad, was found practising as an MD (general medicine) despite holding a medical degree equivalent only to MBBS from a foreign university. The council held that he misled patients by presenting himself as a specialist. His licence has been suspended for six months.The release further stated that Patel was also facing a separate inquiry for allegedly misusing the GMC licence of a gynaecologist to get empanelled with LIC. The alleged misuse involved forged stamps and signatures.In another case, the licence of Dr Manoj Sida, associated with a hospital in Rajkot, has also been suspended for six months. The council found that he too was practising as an MD (general medicine) despite holding a foreign medical degree equivalent to MBBS. He has also been named in a case involving suspicious medical records allegedly submitted to obtain a medical insurance claim.In the third case, the GMC suspended the licence of Dr Akshay Hadiyal, a gynaecologist running a hospital in Gir Somnath district, for one year following findings of medical negligence. A probe found lapses including the absence of an anaesthetist during a surgical procedure, failure to follow post-operative protocols and non-cooperation with the council's inquiry committee.Three patients — Kavi Nandaniya, Manisha Makwana and Kajal Trada — died during pregnancy or childbirth at the hospital. Following the deaths, the district chief district health officer (CDHO) had constituted an inquiry committee, which submitted a report to the council.