A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Abu Abraham Luke, former Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of TMH Hospital in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, after the family of a 60-year-old patient cited medical negligence as a reason for his death. The private hospital told TNM that they were hoodwinked for four years and Abu has now been dismissed from service. 

It was learnt that Abu, who is responsible for patient monitoring and emergency response, was not a qualified doctor and is an MBBS student who hasn’t passed exams for more than a decade. 

The 60-year-old man, Vinod Kumar, was taken to the hospital after having chest pain and breathlessness in the early hours of September 23. The family alleged that instead of administering medicines, the RMO insisted on tests, including an ECG. Half-an-hour later, they were informed that Vinod was no more. Later, the family found that Abu was practicing without a Medical degree and filed a complaint of criminal medical negligence against the hospital and the RMO.

Farook Circle Inspector Sajeev R told TNM that the investigation against the hospital is ongoing. “Hospital authorities said Abu cheated them. We are investigating the matter,” he added. Abu has been booked under sections 318(4) (offense of cheating and dishonestly) and 319(2) (cheats by personation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Additionally, 15(2) of The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 was also invoked. Since he was not a registered doctor, medical negligence charges were not invoked. 

Ashwin, the elder son of Vinod and a doctor himself, checked his father’s medical records out of suspicion. “I was working in Punjab and was not with my family when the incident occurred. In the death summary, the cause of death was written as cardiopulmonary arrest. But that is a condition and cannot be pronounced as a cause of death. Then I went through the death summary and noticed that the doctor had not administered any medicine, which is necessary for a cardiac patient,” he told TNM. 

When TNM contacted TMH Hospital, manager Manoj Palakkal acknowledged their mistake and added that Abu had been dismissed. According to Manoj, Abu had been working as a duty doctor at TMH Hospital for the past 4 years and during his job interview had claimed to have worked in other hospitals too.