British doctor 'shocked' after fraudster worked in Australian hospitals using his ID
A respected British rheumatologist has expressed “shock” after discovering that his identity was stolen by a fraudster who worked in hospitals in Australia for eleven years despite being unqualified.
In a case that is being investigated by the NHS and Australian health authorities, a fraudster allegedly stole documents in India which belonged to Dr Sarang Chitale, who lives near Manchester and works at Leigh Infirmary in Leigh, near Manchester, and several other clinics in the region.
The fraudster, whose real name is Shyam Acharya, used Dr Chitale’s documents to enter Australia and register with the medical board in the state of New South Wales.
After having his visa sponsored by health authorities in New South Wales, the fake Dr Chitale spent years treating patients in emergency departments at four hospitals across the state.
Dr Chitale, a published expert on aged health and a clinical research fellow in rheumatology for the NHS, has refused to comment on the alleged identity theft. It is unclear whether the pair may have met in India. Asked whether he knew Mr Acharya, Dr Chitale told The Australian newspaper: “I know - I cannot talk.” Dr Chitale’s wife said the ordeal had been “quite distressing and shocking”.
“There is nothing we can do, all we can do is carry on,” she told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“He has been advised not to talk to anybody while there is an ongoing investigation.”
The moment I heard his name I remembered him. I remembered him with fear and loathing. It suddenly all made sense
Former colleague of the 'doctor'
Health authorities in Australia have been examining records of all patients treated by Mr Acharya to check whether any were mistreated. Only one complaint about his work has yet emerged, but former colleagues say he had a reputation for being “shabby”.
Now aged 41, Mr Acharya entered Australia in 2003 and eventually became an Australian citizen under Dr Chitale’s name.
After working for public hospitals until 2014, he worked for the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, and for Novotech, a medical research company.
Novotech last year became suspicious about his qualifications and alerted local health authorities, which apparently prompted him to flee Australia. His present whereabouts are unknown.
A former colleague of the fake doctor at Gosford Hospital, north of Sydney, said he had a reputation for being “very fast and not very thorough”.
“The moment I heard his name I remembered him," the doctor told ABC News.
"I remembered him with fear and loathing. It suddenly all made sense… There were at least five or six other doctors that were convinced that he was pretty shabby, that his medicine was unsavoury and that patients that he tried to hand over were not worked up very well."
The doctor, who did not want to be named, added: "A fair few of the other doctors that I was working with had similar issues to me with him and with his medicine. But given the fact that he was new to the country and new to the Australian medical system, everyone cut him some slack."
At a glance | If youre a victim of fraud
Mr Acharya is being investigated by health and immigration authorities and has been charged with breaching health practitioner regulations. He faces a £20,000 fine.
Police have not yet launched an investigation.
Professor Brad Frankum, from the Australian Medical Association, said it was "a worry [Mr Acharya] was able to fool the system for so long".
"It was a long time ago that the person faked their way in ... and the system is more robust now than it was," he said.
Mr Acharya was employed as a junior doctor and was under supervision, which may have limited any mistreatment of patients. He is also believed to have had some medical training in India. ends
