An Indian man masquerading as a doctor in Australia for more than a decade was eventually discovered by a private medical company, media reports have claimed.
Shyam Acharya, who is believed to have left the country, is accused of working under false pretences at several hospitals from 2003 to 2014, New South Wales (NSW) Health said. He also became an Australian citizen. Mr Acharya reportedly stolen the name and qualifications of an Indian doctor, Sarang Chitale, to become registered as a medical practitioner in NSW, where he worked in hospital emergency departments until he failed to meet Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency requirements, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
After leaving hospitals, Mr Acharya worked for a private medical research company under the same fake identity between June 2015 and September 2016. However, the management discovered that he may have misrepresented his identity and qualifications, the report said.
Mr Acharya faces a fine of up to $18,700 but is likely to have left Australia, said NSW health minister Brad Hazzard on Wednesday. “It is quite disturbing that a foreign national could get through our border protection with a false passport and ID based on an Indian citizen who had trained as a doctor,” Mr Hazzard said in a statement.
Australian police and immigration officials are investigating how Mr Acharya was awarded citizenship. “The belief is that he actually trained in a medical course, possibly in India,” Mr Hazzard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Whether he actually completed that qualification is a moot point.”
