'Doctor' taken to task by medical officer

A fake ‘doctor’ who charged patients Rs 300 per consultation in the name of ‘Nadi Chikitse’ was taken to task by Taluk Medical Officer M U Chethan in Shanivarasanthe on Saturday.

Umamaheshwari, who claims to be a traditional healer from Coimbatore, was operating from a building at Rani Chennamma Circle in the town.

She was promising patients of curing their ailments with ‘Nadi Chikiste’ and diagnosed the ailments by holding the pulse of patients.

Based on a complaint by a citizen named R P Mohan, the taluk medical officer conducted an inspection at the room in which Umamaheshwari was checking the patients.

As per the complaint, Umamaheshwari advised her patients in Shanivarasanthe on every third Saturday of the month. She would check the pulse of the patients for 10 seconds. She would suggest to the patients not to brush their teeth using toothpaste and use charcoal and salt instead.

She would say that the medicines being consumed earlier, for any type of disease, should not be consumed during the ‘treatment’.

Chapati, milk, curds, buttermilk, coffee, tea and eatables prepared out of maida, should be strictly avoided. Water should not be consumed in large quantities. BP and sugar testing should not be tested for six months. If one followed all these steps, any diseased would get cured, she would claim.

She also asked her patients to consult her once every month, for six months.

Umamaheshwari also suggested having dinner by 6 pm and going to bed at 8 pm daily. Every day, about 50-60 patients would consult her, R P Mohan said in his complaint and alleged that she has been cheating the patients.

When the medical officer checked the consultation room, there were no proper documents, equipment or seating arrangements.

The medical officer asked Umamaheshwari to obtain a certificate from the district health officer, to display the board in the consultation room and make seating arrangements. The officer warned the patients not to get duped.

Mohan, the complainant was refunded by the ‘doctor’, with the consultation fee of Rs 300 which he had paid her in the past.