Fake health workers' terror in Kapilvastu

By Janu Pandey, Kaplivastu, Aug 20: Bikash Bala has been operating a medical shop in Thunhiya, Shivaraj Municipality-11, Kaplivastu for a decade as a health worker despite being underqualified for it. 

Bala who is originally from West Bengal, India came to Nepal to open the medical shop and has been operating it for over a decade, he, however, has just passed grade 10. 

He has been putting up the persona of a fake health worker and was well known with the name Bengali doctor, but the monitoring team of the district administration office (CDO) unveiled his lies about being a health worker and he is currently in District Police Office for further investigation. 

Such fake cases are widely prevalent, especially in the Madhesi settlement in the district. A medical shop which is just two houses away from Bala's medical shop is owned by Santosh Kumar Shrivastav, who has passed certificate level in ISC in biology science and has been operating a medical shop as a health worker. Shrivastav is from the Kotiya area of India, which is connected to Maharajganj Municipality of Kaplivastu. 

The monitoring team under DAO discovered three such fake medical shops in the area and arrested one fake health worker. The arrested had flown from his medical shop after knowing that the monitoring team are visiting his medical shop. 

The moderating team went out for medical observation following the death of a child. The deceased child who has been identified as Durgesh Rajvar, aged 14 from Suddhodhan Rural Municipality-5, Kaplivastu lost his life on Saturday. He went to a Sahani medical shop for treatment after having pain in his ear. He was referred to the Kapilvastu Hospital as his health condition worsened. 

District Police Office, Kapilvastu, said that 14 year old died while receiving treatment in the hospital. Police are conducting further investigating after arresting medical shop owner, Amres Mallah in the case.

Rabindranath Thakur, a human rights activist said that hundreds of fake medical shops are being operated nearing the postal highway of the district. However, it has not reached the ears of concerned authorities.

Thakur said that cases of illegal abortions and the sale of banned medicines have been made public as well. 

The locals are claiming that the doctor giving treatment to the deceased 14-year-old was a fake doctor. The District Administration Office, district police officers, Kaplivastu, and health officials, Kapilvastu have been monitoring following the death of a child. 

The administration said that there is no study or training on the subject related to fake health workers. 

 The administration says that there is no study or training on the subject related to fake health workers. Thakur said that cases of illegal abortions and the sale of banned medicines have become public.