Free Press Journal: Mumbai: Saturday,
September 10, 2016.
A Right to
Information (RTI) Act has been filed by advocate Dipak Chattopadhyay against
Dr. Naresh Madanlal Khanna, an orthopaedic doctor at Dentomania
Polyclinic at Yari Road at Versova in Andheri (W).
Khanna has
allegedly been issuing fake medical disability certificates outside Motor
Accident Claims Tribunal (MCAT) at CST to aid victims to get more
compensation. Earlier, FPJ had reported
a complaint letter issued by advocate Dipak Chattopadhyaya against Dr. Khanna’s
malpractices.
A complaint
filed with the Maharashtra Medical Council by Bajaj Allianz through Dr. Vaibhav
Sonune, head of Disability & Medical Frauds against Dr. Naresh Khanna said,
“Dr. Khanna, an orthopedic surgeon from Mumbai constantly practised unethical,
unscientific exaggeration and invention of disability and also applied
unauthorized method of assessment of disability. He certifies disability in
many cases of injuries and does not state the manual he follows. Dr. Khanna never gives any calculation as to how
it was arrived at the said disability percentage. Thus, he habitually practiced
unethical, unscientific exaggeration and invention of disability and also
applied unauthorized method of assessment of disability thereby helping the
applicants to grab more compensation from insurance companies.”
”I have filed
an RTI application to find out how many medical disability certificates have
been issued by Dr. Naresh Khanna so far,” said Chattopadhyaya.
Added
Krishnan Iyer, Assistant Manager, Bajaj Allianz, “We have filed a complaint
against Dr. Khanna for issuing fake medical disability certificates to the
patients to claim more compensation. The matter is with the Board for hearing.”
According to
the complaint, Khanna certified 52 per cent disability in a case filed by one
Santosh Jaiswar for injuries sustained in an accident on June 22, 2012 in
Mumbai. Khanna issued a disability certificate confirming that he examined the
petitioner and he was disabled by 52% without giving any calculation. On
verification by the petitioner, Jaiswar said that the movement of his shoulder
was slightly restricted as were elbow movements. However, he could lift normal
objects easily. Jaiswar admitted that he has never gone to Khanna for “disability
assessment.”
“We have
video-recorded movements of the petitioner. The petitioner clearly stated
during the interaction with our people that he does not know Dr. Naresh Khanna.
The doctor did not examine the person and issued an exaggerated disability
certificate just for the benefit of the petitioner,” the complaint states.
In another
case mentioned in the complaint, one Kirit C. Sheth sustained injuries in an
accident in January 2008. As per the order passed by MCAT Thane, during cross
examination Khanna admitted that “he assessed the disability only in respect of
left lower limb and not whole body, yet certified aspects not examined by him.
He also admitted that identification mark, thumb impression and signature of
the applicant are not on disability certificate. MCAT Thane after considering
Khanna’s evidence reduced disability to 15 percent.
In his reply
to MMC, Khanna has denied any wrong doing and said, “Whenever a patient comes
to me for disability certificate, whether I have treated the patient or not, I
peruse the medical papers, hospital papers, treatment papers and X-ray reports.
I examine the patient clinically and either take a fresh X-ray or do a
screening of the said patient. My findings and the percentage are all based on
the injuries and my disability findings which are the basis of the percentage
of the disability given. At no occasion do I assess the disability in an
exaggerated manner or give a high percentage for the extra benefit of the
patient to get more compensation” said Khanna.
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