For years, he treated patients and performed surgeries in a tin shed. A raid exposed him as an untrained fraud

Rezaul opened a pharmacy in Gopalganj’s Muksudpur nine years ago. At one point, he started issuing prescriptions himself

A mobile court has arrested a non-certified and untrained man who “admitted” patients to an unhealthy “chamber” in a tin shed for treatment and even performed surgeries.

Executive Magistrate Shahriar Ahmed, a mobile court judge, said the man had been sentenced to three months in jail and fined Tk 100,000 following a raid on his chamber in Adampur Notun Bazar in Gopalganj’s Muksudpur.

The convict, 42-year-old Md Rezaul Karim Sheikh, is the son of Atar Ali of Adampur village in Muksudpur Upazila.

His name on the prescription has the title “doctor” before it, and followed by the degree DMA, Dhaka. Rezaul gave treatments for back pain, rheumatic pain, knee pain, skin issues, allergies, and diabetes. He also claimed to be an expert in mother and child health. The prescription also shows him to be a specialist of different surgeries and tooth extractions.

Taijul Hossain, a resident of Adampur Bazar, said that Rezaul opened Al Karim Pharmacy in the Adampur Notun Bazar Mosque area nine years ago. Then, he opened a chamber in the area, saw patients, and started prescribing. He would prescribe multiple expensive antibiotics.

Muksudpur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Raihan Islam Shovon said, “Md Rezaul Karim Sheikh does not have any medical certificate or training. Despite this, he used the title "doctor" before his name. He would see patients and write prescriptions.”

"He also performed surgeries while keeping patients admitted in his tin-shed chamber in unhealthy conditions. Locals complained about incidents of maternal deaths and mutilation of body parts in his chamber. However, the mobile court did not find any evidence of maternal death or loss of body parts during the raid."

In addition, Rezaul used unnecessary antibiotics for treatment and sold unlicensed medicine in his chamber. A large quantity of expired medicines was found stored in his pharmacy.

The health and family planning officer said, "After receiving the evidence, the judge found Rezaul guilty and sentenced him to three months jail and fined him Tk 100,000. Al Karim Pharmacy was sealed as well."

"Later, the mobile court force took him to Gopalganj, and we learnt that he had been sent to the district jail from there."

Gopalganj Drug Superintendent Bithi Rani Mondal, police and Ansar personnel were also present during the mobile court drive.