Nearly a fortnight after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) suspended a third medical officer of health (MOH) over alleged irregularities in birth certificates issued during his tenure, the officer on Tuesday asked the civic administration to revoke his suspension. He claimed that the allegations against him are false and that action was taken before the completion of the inquiry. This marks the first time a medical officer has publicly contested the ongoing investigation.
Doctor's Defense and Service Record
In a letter addressed to Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Vipin Sharma, the doctor stated that he has served the BMC since 2009 and has worked across multiple wards, including B, C, E, N, and L, in addition to handling responsibilities as a sub-registrar for birth and death registrations. Referring to the inquiry initiated against him, the doctor maintained that he had not issued any illegal birth or death certificate or provided unlawful assistance in any case.
He further asserted that there is no civic circular prohibiting corrections in the SAP system. A recent probe report presented before the BMC chief had indicated that MOHs in several wards were making corrections to birth-death records not only in the mandatory civil registration system for birth and death registration portal but also in the old SAP system, the BMC's internal system. This was deemed a violation of the guidelines issued by the Registrar General of India.
Allegations of Unfair Targeting
Alleging that he was being unfairly targeted, the doctor said, “Any woman who comes to a government or BMC hospital is attended to by doctors, and deliveries are conducted as per our medical oath. We cannot discriminate against patients based on religion or nationality. There is no agency at any government or private hospital that verifies whether parents are Indian citizens or from another country. The same documents submitted by hospitals are forwarded to the MOH office for issuance of a birth certificate. There is also no agency at the MOH office that re-checks the nationality of parents. The MOH issues birth certificates based on the documents received. In such a system, why is the MOH being targeted or suspended on the basis of false charges related to fake certificates? It is the responsibility of police to verify the nationality of individuals, not BMC doctors, who are already handling multiple responsibilities.”
Context of the Suspension
The officer’s suspension came amid an ongoing probe into alleged fake birth certificates issued in various civic wards, following complaints raised by former MP Kirit Somaiya of the BJP regarding irregularities in the M-East ward. The BMC has been investigating the matter, and multiple medical officers have been suspended as part of the inquiry.
