Complaint against ex-TMC MLAs linked to Bengal Medical Council for ‘enabling fake doctor scam’

A doctors' association has filed a police complaint against senior officials of the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC), including two former Trinamool Congress party legislators, for allegedly enabling a "fake doctor" scam in the state. The complainant, Rajiv Pandey, secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, accused the WBMC's president Sudipta Roy, vice-president Sushanta Roy, registrar Manas Chakraborty, and former WBMC chief Nirmal Maji of setting up a "racket" involving fake medical registrations and destruction of evidence.

Pandey claimed that the number of fake doctors registered between 2017 and 2025 had steadily increased, and that the WBMC played a crucial role in this. He asked why the Medical Council had not taken active steps to catch fake doctors, noting that after registering as doctors, they were using the Swasthya Sathi scheme. The Health Department has launched an investigation into the matter, and the Medical Council may be ordered to destroy documents related to it.

Nirmal Maji, the former WBMC chief, denied the allegations, stating that he had ordered an investigation that led to the arrest of around 200 fake doctors during his tenure. Sudipta Roy, the current WBMC president, said that the Council will re-verify the documents of all medical graduates from other states who have been practicing in West Bengal for the past ten years.