Nepalese police have arrested 36 doctors, including six women, for possessing fake credentials taking the total number of arrests to 53 as part of a nationwide crackdown on fake medical professionals.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police detained 36 doctors after weekend raids at reputed hospitals, clinics and medical schools across the country as part of 'Operation Quack' on charges of practicing medicine by using fake certificates.
The CIB yesterday presented the doctors, who used fake academic credentials at the Kathmandu District Court seeking judicial remand for further investigation, police said.
The court remanded them in custody for five days for further investigation.
With its latest action, the CIB has arrested a total of 53 doctors since it launched 'Operation Quack' in February to crackdown on medical professionals who had allegedly obtained medical degrees and Nepal Medical Council (NMC) licenses by using fake academic credentials.
The CIB had arrested 17 doctors in February. Following an investigation, their medical licences have been annulled by the NMC.
The arrested doctors are being charged with forgery and face up to five years in prison if convicted, according to CIB official Dibesh Lohani.
The Nepal Medical Council and the Higher Secondary Education Board have been assisting the police in the operation.
Meanwhile, Nepal Medical Association has deplored the action taken by the police against the doctors.
"Although NMA believes that any one indicted for any activity forbidden by the laws should be liable to punishment accordingly, the arrest of on-duty doctors without warrant from their workplace in an authoritarian style is deplorable," said Mukti Ram Shrestha, General Secretary of the association.
The association claimed that the authorities have violated human rights while taking action against the doctors.
They have also warned that if the government continues to "intimidate" doctors in the manner that it made the arrests, it would be forced to announce protest programmes.
