3 min readAhmedabadMar 30, 2026 07:54 AM IST
First published on: Mar 30, 2026 at 07:54 AM IST
The state government investigated 2,724 complaints of bogus doctors made from 2021 to 2023 and found that 169 people had fake degrees, stated Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya.
The minister said this in a written response to an unstarred question raised by Kankrej Congress MLA Amrutji Thakor in the Vidhan Sabha.
The data tabled in the Assembly revealed that as many as 839 such complaints were submitted to the health department in 2021, 875 in 2022 and another 1,010 in 2023, thus bringing the total to 2,724.
District-wise, Morbi (577), Mehsana (568) and Surat (520) contributed over 61 per cent (1,665) of these complaints.
Surprisingly, however, no bogus or fake doctor was found in any of the 577 cases in Morbi, the reply stated. In Mehsana and Surat, two and three bogus doctors were found, and FIRs were registered against them.
Out of the 169 cases of fake degrees, 59 were detected in 2021, 43 in 2022 and 67 in 2023. “FIRs were registered against 154 bogus doctors during this period,” the response stated, adding that 56 FIRs were registered in 2021, 42 in 2022 and 56 in 2023.
Even after the implementation of the Gujarat Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2022, which makes it mandatory for every clinical establishment to get registered as per the provisions of the Act, the complaints against fake doctors did not cease.
On March 25 this year, the state Legislative Assembly passed the Gujarat Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 without opposition, making it the second time that the legislation was amended. The first amendment was made in 2025.
While presenting the Bill, Pansheriya stated, “This law was enacted in the year 2021 to provide legal backing to doctors with proper medical qualifications in the state and to control the diagnosis and practice done by unqualified practitioners. It was implemented on September 13, 2022.”
“It was necessary to implement the Act as there were cases wherein bogus doctors played with the lives of people. With the coordination of the health and police departments, such bogus doctors were caught and legal action taken against them,” Pansheriya had said in the House.
Under this law, the registration of small clinics to multi-specialty hospitals and laboratories is mandatory. As of March 20, 2026, the state has about 41,000 temporary and 2,000 permanent registrations.
The opposition Congress, meanwhile, has been pointing out the increasing cases of fake doctors. Making his case, Congress Patan MLA Kirit Patel, while speaking about the Act and the Bill, stated that the Bill had the party’s support, but questioned the need for a second amendment.
In Mehsana and Surat, two and three bogus doctors were found, and FIRs were registered against them. (Representational Photo) 
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