Bongaigaon, Assam. A doctor accused of using someone else’s medical registration number. The doctor, S Sartazuddin, has an MD from Russia and has spent almost 24 years treating patients. He’s worked at Dr Agarwala’s SM Hospital and runs his own clinic in Jyoti Nagar. Things started unraveling when police realized the registration number he used didn’t match any official record. They filed a First Information Report, and now the investigation’s underway.
But honestly, this is just the latest in a string of fake doctor stories coming out of Assam. There’s been a wave of these cases recently, and the authorities are finally cracking down. Earlier in November, police in Silchar arrested two people for treating patients without any real medical degrees. One of them was running a so-called “doctor’s chamber” in his pharmacy. Most of these arrests follow complaints from the Assam Council of Medical Registration, whose anti-quackery cell has its hands full. Go back to August, and police caught another man in Silchar who’d supposedly carried out more than 50 caesarean surgeries—no medical degree at all.
Officials are saying what’s obvious by now: there’s a much deeper problem at play. People are buying or faking degrees, slipping through the system, and putting vulnerable patients at risk.
Why does this Bongaigaon case stand out?
For one thing, Sartazuddin has been practicing for nearly 24 years. That’s a long time—long enough to treat hundreds, maybe thousands of people. He worked at a known hospital, ran his own clinic, and built up the kind of trust you just can’t fake. When someone like this much professional in their field turns out to be a fraud, it’s not easy for regular people who used to trusted him, to detect the signs. And the fact that he got away with it for so long? That raises some tough questions about how well authorities are actually checking doctors’ credentials.
This story could finally force regulators and police to take verification more seriously. Are their checks strong enough? Clearly, something’s slipping through the cracks.Every new fake doctor story chips away at trust in healthcare, especially when these people perform surgeries or other serious treatments. It’s not just about unsafe care. It’s about the fear that anyone in a white coat could be a fraud. That kind of suspicion makes things harder for real doctors and shakes public faith in the whole system.
Assam needs stronger checks
No doubt about it. People should feel comfortable, even encouraged, to ask for proof of a doctor’s registration, especially in small clinics or with new faces. There’s nothing wrong with double-checking.Right now, police in Bongaigaon are digging into Dr S Sartazuddin’s credentials and the registration number he used. If they find he broke the law, he’s looking at legal action under medical regulation laws. This might even kick off a wider review of how private clinics in Assam check their doctors.
The investigation continues.
Police in Silchar, Cachar, and other districts are still finding fake ones. The message is out: authorities are finally taking the problem seriously. In the end, this Bongaigaon case is a wake-up call. Fake doctors can—and do—slip through for years if no one’s watching. Trust isn’t a substitute for real qualifications. For people across Assam, this is a reminder: always ask for a doctor’s registration number, don’t hesitate to get a second opinion, and expect real transparency. And for the regulators, it’s time to make sure registration systems work, checks are routine, and fakes don’t get to hide in plain sight anymore.
That’s the only way to keep people safe and shut the door on unqualified imposters.