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A major scandal has come to light involving Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SRIMSR) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where the institution is accused of orchestrating a large-scale fraud to secure recognition from the National Medical Commission (NMC). According to multiple media reports, the college allegedly paid villagers as little as Rs 150 to pose as fake patients and used final-year medical students to impersonate faculty during official inspections.
The scheme was reportedly elaborate: agents contacted healthy individuals from villages such as Pacheda, Tulsi, Cakhtra, and Bhakhara, bringing them to the hospital to portray high occupancy and outpatient numbers needed to meet regulatory requirements. In return, these fake patients were paid cash for their participation and sometimes registered under fake names and illnesses. Patient agents, villagers acting as ward attendants, and health workers (known locally as mitanin) were given commissions to facilitate and recruit these individuals for hospital registration.
During NMC inspections, queues of these paid fake patients filled hospital wards, creating an illusion of an efficiently functioning, busy hospital. In some cases, villagers said they were paid only partially or not at all for their participation. Meanwhile, medical students in their final year were introduced as full-time faculty to further mislead the inspection team.
The college management allegedly received advance notice of inspection dates, allowing time to orchestrate these schemes. This elaborate fraud was uncovered as part of a broader Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe that also exposed the payment of large bribes—over Rs 55 lakh in one instance—to NMC inspectors in exchange for favorable recognition reports. The CBI arrested several individuals, including the institute director Atul Kumar Tiwari, and named the college chairman, Ravi Shankar Maharaj, in the ongoing probe. The investigation has so far identified a network of more than 35 involved parties across several states.
Chhattisgarh state health authorities have pledged a transparent inquiry, while concerns mount over the damage caused to the credibility of medical education and patient care in the state.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information reported by Medical Dialogues and other referenced sources. The allegations described are part of an ongoing investigation; all individuals and institutions are presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of law. The purpose of this article is to inform, not to ascribe guilt or defame any parties involved.
