A child has died, a mother rendered barren and God knows what would have happened had greater supervision not been provided. Indeed accidents happen in the medical field, in the same way that they happen in other fields. The problem though, is that medical accidents are expensive - with a human-life price tag. Because we cannot afford such accidents, we get concerned as people when a particular doctor appears to be pursued by an accident fiend. It is upon this premise that we call for a speedy investigation of Dr Mohjan Shuvra. Yes, she has the papers to prove her qualification as a doctor, nay, as a specialist obstetrician/gynecologist. If she is the same Shuvra who recently resigned from Dhaka's respected Apollo Hospitals then, true, she has worked as a doctor within the hospital group. But how do we explain away all the botched procedures that she is reported to have carried out? Has she forgotten how to do the procedures? Is someone out to get her? Why would people, and so many people, decide to hate someone so new and unknown to them? These are questions that flood our minds and we can't find an answer. Indeed an answer lies in a full investigation. It is not the first time that the Ministry of Health - or a hospital in this country has been accused of employing bogus doctors. Research done elsewhere has shown that it is easy for masquerading medics not to be easily found out because the way they learn their trade is very much similar to the way genuine doctors learn. Due to its often collaborative rather than individual effort, medicine can be 'learnt' as information is exchanged, decisions discussed, experience pooled and expertise passed on. The bogus doctor is in many ways like a genuine doctor. That is scary. Many of them are able to practice for many years before someone finds them out. And they usually practice in hospitals where they can hide in the crowd of other health professionals, constantly drawing attention from themselves. And colleagues may think it is just their culture or training, especially if they are from another culture. So, be they people who did not complete their medical training, those who failed, trained in other fields such as chemistry, or nursing they may never be found out. It is highly probable that such people are lurking in our hospitals. What is even more frightening is that we may never know who they are. If Dr Shuvra does turn out to be genuine as she insists, then a further investigation about her purported non-achievement needs to be carried out. More importantly a further screening of all expatriate doctors is needed. History has shown us that our screening system is not foolproof. No, not even that of the world's developed nations. That is even more reason for the Ministry of Health to be more vigilant and uproot bogus, dangerous doctors.
