The Chhattisgarh Medical Council has launched a massive verification of 3,000 foreign-trained doctors following reports of forged FMGE certificates and extreme clinical incompetence.
RAIPUR, March 30, 2026 — Authorities have launched a sweeping criminal investigation into 3,000 doctors with fake degrees in Chhattisgarh who allegedly bypassed federal licensing exams to practice medicine.
The Chhattisgarh Medical Council (CMC), backed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the state Directorate of Medical Education, is now auditing the credentials of every foreign medical graduate in the state. The move follows a series of red flags in government hospitals where interns—supposedly qualified doctors—were unable to perform the most basic medical tasks.
Some of these individuals could not identify standard surgical instruments. Others displayed a total lack of foundational medical knowledge during their clinical rotations.
The investigation centers on the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). This mandatory screening test, conducted by the National Board of Examinations, is the only legal gateway for Indian students with overseas MBBS degrees to practice at home. Without a passing certificate, they cannot register with a medical council or begin the required one-year internship.
Evidence suggests thousands may have simply bought their way past the test.
“The situation is alarming,” CMC Registrar Dr. Rupal Purohit told The Hitavada. Reports indicate that many of these graduates never attended regular classes at their institutions in Central and East Asia. Some degrees were reportedly earned through online-only exams, while others showed attendance records as thin as one or two days a week.
But the paperwork they submitted to the state was flawless.
The Chhattisgarh probe follows a blueprint established by a recent crackdown in Rajasthan. There, the Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested 18 people, including a former registrar of the Rajasthan Medical Council. That investigation revealed a sophisticated racket where candidates paid between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh to secure fake FMGE certificates and bypass verification.
In the Rajasthan scheme, nearly half of that bribe—Rs 11 lakh—went directly to council officials to grease the wheels of registration.
Chhattisgarh investigators are now looking for the same administrative rot.
“The council has launched a detailed verification exercise,” confirmed CMC Vice-President Dr. Vivek Choudhary. “Authorities are currently scrutinising mark sheets, internship records and FMGE certificates of foreign medical graduates across the state.”
The scale of the audit is unprecedented. By targeting 3,000 doctors with fake degrees in Chhattisgarh, the state is admitting that its medical oversight failed at a systemic level. If the allegations are proven, it means thousands of unqualified individuals have been treating patients, prescribing medication, and assisting in surgeries across the region.
What happens to the patients treated by a doctor who can’t recognize a scalpel?
The CMC is currently cross-referencing state records with the National Board of Examinations to flag forged documents. Any doctor found with a fraudulent certificate faces immediate de-registration and criminal prosecution.
The audit is ongoing, but the message from Raipur is clear: the era of the “purchased” medical license is over.
