Pseudo Doctors

 

At 67 years old, Ramachandrappa retired as an administrative officer in a government department. From 10 to 12 years old, he was suffering from stomach pain. Despite being shown to several doctors, there was no relief. At the insistence of the family, Ramachandrappa was referred to a gastric specialist. The doctor said he had an ulcer in his stomach and needed surgery. As Ramachandrappa did not agree to the surgery, the doctor prescribed him a diet and prescribed pills. Ramachandrappa's once every 15 days go to the nearest drug store and get the pills.

One day as a routine When he went to the medical shop, a man there asked, 'What, sir, do you have a stomach ache? 'How did you know?' When asked by Ramachandrappa,  'Same thing happened to my father. He was in a lot of pain. He was consuming the same pills. When there was no relief, he started using Ayurvedic oil. He said that his stomach ache had disappeared said the store person. 'I have already tried Ayurvedic medicines, but nothing helped', said Ramachandrappa. 'You should try it once; this is a special stomach oil made from Himalayan herbs, and the pain disappeared within six months after my father started using it', said the store person.

So where do I get that medicine?' Ramachandra inquired. The man introduced himself as Surendra and gave his mobile number. 'If you want to take that medicine, contact me; I will take you to our father's doctor and give you the medicine,' he said. Two days later, Ramachandrappa contacted Surendra and asked for a new medicine. He said that he was in another town and would call later. Four days later, he contacted Ramachandrappa to get the medicine near the central bus stand. When they went there, he took them to a shop in a nearby area. Ramachandrappa noticed that the shop had no name board and inquired about it. Surendra said that there was no reason to put up a board because everyone knew that it was an Ayurvedic medicine shop. One person in that shop was 'Ayurveda Pandit Gangadhar'. Surendra said that he studied at the famous Kottakkal Ayurveda school in Kerala.

    The doctor who took Ramchandrappa to the examination examined him and said, 'From your pulse and other tests, you do not have any serious problems with your stomach. We can relieve the problem without any surgery. But the price of medicine given for this is high; the treatment should be done twice a year, and the fee will be two lakhs for one time', he said. 'Ayurvedic treatment is not so expensive?' When Ramachandrappa asked, "Gold should be burned in the oil given to you. Besides, the herbs needed for this medicine are available only in the Himalayas; some others have to be brought from China, said the doctor. Surendra, who was there, said to Ramachandrappa, The skill of this scholar is good; you will be cured, he assured and continued. Two lakh rupees is not a big deal. This doctor also healed my father. Is this not more than what you have spent on English medicine in the last six years? Of course you can continue, said Surendra.

Ramachandrappa returned home, saying that he would take the advice of his wife and the children and inform him of the decision. The following Sunday, Ramachandrappa contacted his son in Australia and asked for his advice. 'This is not an expensive treatment; I will pay for it myself,' he said. Later, Ramachandrappa contacted Surendra and asked him to take him to the same doctor. Then he said, 'to bring pure pressed coconut oil from a coconut oil shop in the central market'. Ramachandrappa went to the said shop, bought oil, and went to Gangadhar's clinic. Surendra was also there. Gangadhara mixed various powders into the oil bottle, stirred it well, and returned it to Ramachandrappa. It should be spread on the stomach up to the chest every night before sleep. After doing it for three months, Gangadhar told him to come and see him and asked for two lakh rupees as his fee. Ramachandrappa issued a check in his name for that amount.

Ramachandrappa slept after applying oil to his stomach. Half an hour later, his body began to experience unusual itching. By the morning, the oiled part of the stomach was blue. Alarmed, Ramachandrappa called Gangadhar. 'This is your body's reaction to a new drug. It will return to normal in two days; don't worry,' he said. The oil was applied to the stomach the next night as well. When he woke up in the morning, the skin pain was unbearable. Panicked, he rushed to the big hospital. The doctor who examined him told him that he had a skin infection due to poisonous oil, prescribed several ointments, and advised him not to apply Ayurvedic oil to his skin. The very next day, Ramachandrappa contacted Gangadhar, told him about his experience, and asked him to return the money. Your money will definitely be returned. Come to the clinic next Monday evening, said Gangadhar. Meanwhile, he continued to treat the wounds on his stomach. On Monday evening, when he went to Gangadhar's shop, it was closed. After inquiring with the neighbors, it was learned that the owner had vacated the shop. His and Surendra's cellphones were switched off.

Ramachandrappa immediately went to the police station. The station officer was not ready to take up his complaint. A complaint of fraud was registered with the intervention of a senior official. After noticing that the check given to Gangadhar was deposited in a bank account in Kerala, the police rushed there. Gangadhar's local address was traced through the KYC of that account. Gangadhar's wife told him that he was in Bangalore and gave him another cell phone number. Immediately, Bangalore police arrested Gangadhar from one of the lodgings through its location. It was known that he was a nurse in an Ayurvedic hospital in Kerala and had lost his job and came to Bangalore due to allegations of money stealing.

Gangadhar's agents used to stand in front of drug stores and target only senior citizens with ailments like knee pain, asthma, etc. In Gangadhar's statement, four agents of his team, including Surendra, were arrested. Gangadhara used to give 10 percent of his fee as a commission to all of them. This gang had cheated more than sixty senior citizens and earned Rs 55 lakh in just six months. The court further sentenced Gangadhar to five years in prison and the others to three years. Ramachandrappa got his money back. It is better for citizens to realize that it is difficult for others.(1)

 

Reference

1] Dr.D.V Guruprasad, 2024 January 7, “ನಕಲಿ ವೈದ್ಯರ ಹಾವಳಿ”, A Kshana, Vijayavani, Bengaluru, Page No-8

 2] Image from pinterest