According to a startling discovery, at least 44 physicians applied for postgraduate medical programs in Tamil Nadu under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota with forged certificates. The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) selection committee discovered the fraud during a verification process. Several foreign embassies and consulates, including those of the United States, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, and Kuwait, had issued certifications to the doctors. The embassies verified these documents, and they were found to be false.
When the postgraduate committee released a list in October revealing that 221 out of 446 candidates (almost 50%) were deemed ineligible due to faults in submission or missing documents, the problem was first made public. 44 of these physicians were singled out for presenting phony certifications. “The department will take strict legal action against those involved in producing fraudulent documents,” said Dr. P Arunalatha, the selection committee secretary. “We have asked for a legal opinion to proceed with action,” she stated.
After several of the applicants provided the necessary and accurate documents, the number of ineligible candidates was subsequently lowered to 114 as a result of this examination. In 2023, however, it was discovered that over 20 students had filed falsified consulate credentials. Former Tamil Nadu Medical Council president Dr. K Senthil denounced the unethical actions of these physicians, stressing that certificate forgery is a grave transgression and that those responsible ought to be disqualified from practicing medicine.
At least five students who were completing their bond period in different government hospitals had also filed under the service quota using fake documents, according to additional investigation. These applicants were judged disqualified as well. With intentions to file police charges and start legal action against six candidates who produced phony certificates from at least four consulates, the selection committee has stepped up its efforts to solve the problem.
The credibility of the educational system and the medical profession are threatened by fraudulent admissions procedures, which are an increasing problem, as this example demonstrates. In order to stop similar occurrences in the future and guarantee that only eligible and sincere applicants are permitted to pursue medical education, Tamil Nadu’s authorities are currently concentrating on implementing strict legal and administrative measures.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
