Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 20: A man posing as a cardiologist was apprehended at Govt Lal Ded Hospital after security personnel and hospital staff grew suspicious of his unusual movements within the facility. The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. yesterday, prompting a swift response from authorities.
Hospital officials told Excelsior that the man had been observed wandering through the hospital, which raised immediate concerns among the staff. “What added to the suspicion was the fact that the hospital staff, especially the security personnel, had never seen him around,” said an official.
In an effort to confirm his identity and credentials, the man, who claimed to be a cardiologist named Dr Abid Ahmad and a resident of district Ganderbal, asserted that he had been dispatched from SMHS Hospital as an on-call specialist to attend to a patient at Govt Lal Ded Hospital. However, when asked to provide identification, he stated that he did not have it on hand.
Authorities further requested the imposter to produce any form of identification, such as an identification card or a hospital roster listing his name, but he failed to do so. Growing increasingly suspicious, hospital officials decided to contact SMHS and Super Speciality Hospital to verify whether they had indeed sent a cardiologist to Lal Ded Hospital.
“Both hospitals denied any knowledge of a doctor by the name of Dr. Abid Ahmad,” revealed Dr. Muzaffar Sherwani, Medical Superintendent of Govt Lal Ded Hospital. “This left us with no option but to call the police.”
With the imposter unable to provide credible proof of his medical credentials, hospital authorities promptly contacted the local police station after which he was taken into custody.
Addressing concerns that the imposter had allegedly been seen attending to patients in the labour room, Dr Sherwani clarified, “He was only seen in the ward, not in the labour room, as he had no knowledge of the hospital’s layout,” he added.
When questioned about whether the presence of an imposter in the hospital constituted a security breach, Dr Sherwani emphasized that the man had been apprehended based on suspicion, highlighting the vigilance of the security personnel and hospital staff.
In the meantime, H&ME in a statement said: “A video is circulating regarding a fake doctor in LD hospital. Cognizance has been taken and matter is being enquired into, to ascertain the lapses.”
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