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The registration of Mission Hospital in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, has been officially suspended by the State Health Department following serious allegations, including the deaths of several patients allegedly treated by a man pretending to be a heart specialist.
The action was confirmed on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, by Dr. M.K. Jain, the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of the district. He said the hospital has been barred from admitting new patients and has been told to either discharge its current patients or shift them to the government district hospital within three days.
Man Posed as Cardiologist Using Fake Identity
According to officials, the centre of the controversy is Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, who posed as a cardiologist using a fake name—“Dr. Narendra John Camm.” He had allegedly been treating heart patients at the hospital without any legitimate qualifications.
Dr. Jain is also leading a district-level committee to investigate both the functioning of the hospital and the deaths allegedly linked to the fake doctor’s treatment. The committee has already submitted its findings to the administration, raising concerns about several violations.
Hospital’s License Had Already Expired
Officials also revealed that the hospital’s registration had expired on March 31. Although the hospital had applied for a renewal back in December, their application was returned because of several issues.
“They had applied for a renewal in December, which had been returned due to some shortcomings. They had been given seven days [since the return of the application] to reapply. Since the given period has passed, their licence has been suspended for now,” said Dr. Jain.
He added that the hospital can still reapply for its license after addressing all the problems, according to the Madhya Pradesh Nursing Home and Clinical Establishment (Registration and Licensing) Act, 1973.
Serious Violations in Hospital’s Operations
According to Dr. Jain, the hospital had multiple violations that led to the suspension. One of the most serious was the operation of a cardiac catheterisation lab (cath lab) without a certified cardiologist.
“They did not have operators for their pathology lab and blood bank. They also did not have a doctor for anaesthesia,” he said, explaining why the renewal application had been rejected.
Management Accused of Using Forged Documents
The problems didn’t end there. On Tuesday, the hospital’s nine-member management committee was booked by police for allegedly using fake documents and forged signatures to get approval for the cath lab.
According to the complaint, the management used the forged signature of Dr. Akhilesh Dubey, a cardiologist based in Jabalpur, to obtain the registration.
However, the hospital’s lawyer, advocate Shashank Shekhar, denied the forgery. He said Dr. Dubey had knowingly provided his phone number, email address, and a declaration letter for the hospital’s application.
“It’s not just the signature that is required for the registration. The process also requires OTP verification through email, and the phone number of the doctor, which we cannot get without his consent. He gave his number and email. There was also a letter of declaration that he had given to the hospital, but it was taken away by the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) team [which visited Damoh to probe the case],” Mr. Shekhar said.
Hospital Plans to Challenge Action in Court
The hospital management, meanwhile, is planning to fight the suspension in court.
“They have suspended the license based on a shortage of technicians and doctors. Most hospitals in the State have shortage of staff [and] especially in many government hospitals, the sanctioned strength is more than the available staff,” advocate Shekhar said in the hospital’s defense.
As of now, the hospital’s future remains uncertain. But the case has already drawn the attention of state authorities and the National Human Rights Commission, making it clear that this isn’t a matter that will be brushed aside.
