What happened in Damoh, a town in Madhya Pradesh, earlier this week, has serious lessons for the rest of the nation. Due diligence in examining the credentials of healthcare personnel cannot be substituted with anything else. The price of being lax in hiring doctors and so called trained workers for hospitals is too great to pay, because of the toll it extracts on human lives.
A case of medical fraud
Located approximately 250 km northeast of Bhopal, Damoh is home to Mission Hospital, a 131-bedded facility that has been in operation for 10 years. However, details about the hospital’s affiliations with any specific mission or religious order are as yet unclear. The hospital’s website lists the photos and specialties of its ‘experts.’ Among the 11 listed medical professionals, six are duty doctors, and one is a Resident Medical Officer.
In the beginning of this year, this hospital reportedly recruited a man who called himself Narendra John Camm, as an interventional cardiologist offering him an astronomical salary of ₹8 lakh per month. As per media reports, Camm worked at the hospital for just over a month—from January 1 to February 12, 2025—and during that time, he reportedly performed angiograms and angioplasties on about 15 patients, 7 of whom are said to have died subsequently. Some reports suggest the death toll may be higher. He also disappeared all of a sudden.
Investigation and charges
After a month, on March 11, the hospital filed a police complaint accusing him of stealing medical equipment. Meanwhile, the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) also lodged a complaint concerning the deaths of patients under his care. A probe was subsequently ordered by the district administration and Camm, who had been hiding in Prayagraj, was arrested.
Charges were filed under Section 318 (cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable documents), 336 (forgery with intent to deceive), and 340(2) (using a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as under the State’s Ayurvedic Council Act. Investigation so far has revealed that Camm’s medical education and credentials were dubious.
He claimed he had studied MBBS at the University of North Bengal, became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK through St. George’s Hospital, and trained in interventional cardiology under a genuine cardiologist Dr. John Camm. However, the medical registration certificate he submitted to the hospital was issued by the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council. Preliminary investigations indicate that his registration with the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council and the National Medical Commission (NMC) are not genuine. Not much is known about his training abroad either.
The hospital claims to have recruited him through an approved recruiting agency, but the agency on its part, countered it saying the doctor was hired hastily, without completing the necessary verification process. Various reports indicate that he had previously been employed at another hospital in 2006, where he was allegedly involved in malpractice, resulting in patients’ deaths, including a former Speaker of the State Assembly. Additionally, the CWC’s complaint charges that Camm had been allegedly involved in a kidnapping case in Hyderabad.
The systemic failure of credentialing in Indian hospitals
This case sheds light on a disturbing trend where hospitals prioritise financial gain over patient safety, resulting in negligent and reckless recruitment practices. In many instances, hospitals hire doctors without fully verifying their qualifications, including hiring unqualified individuals as duty doctors for intensive care units. This is not an isolated issue—just a few years ago, a fire at a neonatal unit in Delhi led to the tragic deaths of seven babies, where it turned out the duty doctor did not even have an undergraduate degree in modern medicine.
The issue at hand extends beyond the case of Narendra Camm. Many hospitals, particularly in tertiary care and specialised areas such as organ transplants, hire doctors with questionable or unverifiable credentials. Hospitals often offer lucrative salaries to attract top-tier doctors, hoping that their presence will draw wealthy clientele. In many cases, verification of their qualifications is only a formality. The corporate nature of healthcare, where financial considerations often overshadow ethical practices, contributes to this problem. Large hospitals are increasingly recruiting doctors from abroad or offering high salaries without ensuring proper credential checks, thereby endangering patients.
Strengthening medical credentialing and oversight – need of the hour
It is time that we revisit our credentialing processes. Hospitals should implement a comprehensive credentials verification process to ensure that their doctors have a verified medical registration with the State Medical Council and the National Medical Council. This includes checking qualifications, training, professional experience, and any previous involvement in malpractice cases.
Newly-recruited doctors should be required to undergo a probationary period under supervision. This ensures their skills and practices align with established standards before they can work independently.
Hospitals should conduct routine audits of medical practices to assess whether doctors are providing safe and effective care. Hospitals should be required to display the names, qualifications, and registration numbers of all medical staff, including duty doctors, on their websites. This would allow patients to verify the credentials of their healthcare providers. All steps in the hiring process, including interviews and background checks, should be documented and available for review by regulatory bodies.
The NMC and State Medical Councils should enforce more stringent guidelines for verifying the antecedents of medical professionals, particularly those with foreign qualifications or specialised expertise. Periodic audits of hospital staff credentials should be made mandatory to ensure continued compliance with medical standards and patient safety requirements.
Hospitals should prioritise patient care over profit when hiring medical professionals. The recruitment of doctors should focus on their qualifications, competence, and ability to provide safe care, not just their ability to attract wealthy patients. Salaries should be aligned with the doctor’s qualifications and experience, rather than offering inflated packages based solely on attracting affluent patients.
The case of Narendra John Camm is a stark reminder of how neglecting proper credential verification procedures can put patients’ lives at risk. As the healthcare sector becomes increasingly corporatised, it is essential to balance financial incentives with patient safety.
By implementing stronger regulations, improving transparency, and ensuring proper oversight, hospitals can help safeguard the well-being of their patients and restore trust in the medical profession
(Dr. J. Amalorpavanathan is member, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. [email protected])
Published – April 10, 2025 07:44 pm IST