The high profile epilepsy expert, RK Gupta, who runs the Neeraj Clinic at Rishikesh in Uttaranchal and who claims to have cured thousands of epilepsy cases from all parts of the globe, is in trouble with a Parliamentary Committee headed by Arjun Singh observing that "the person was cheating people who are poor and ill, by violating every legal norm with total impunity and the government and its agencies have not been able to take any action against that person so far."
The report of the committee, submitted a few days ago has recommended that 'the case should be taken up by the Department of ISM & H and the state government, so that necessary legal action may be initiated against the person.' The committee has also asked for an action taken report from the central and state governments' in three months time.
Gupta, who has been in the limelight through front-page advertisements in leading newspapers for years, had succeeded in creating a cult figure through his public relation gimmicks. He had also managed to thwart any opposition from the scientific community or the medical profession till recently.
The setting up of the fact-finding committee of Parliamentarians happened after a team of doctors deputed by Indian Medical Association visited Neeraj Clinic on January 31st, 2000 to look into the matter. IMA committee had found that Gupta's newspaper advertisements was in clear violation of medical ethics, as he was soliciting payments, using ayurvedic medicine having no proven effect on patients of epilepsy and giving antiepileptic drugs, in very high doses, which are toxic and dangerous. The complaints of IMA against Gupta were brought to the notice of Medical Council of India and the Central Council of Indian Medicine. The Central Council of Indian Medicine had also requested the controller, Bhartiya Chikitsa Parishad, Lucknow to examine the whole matter and take appropriate action against Gupta, who is registered under the council, under the Indian Medicine (Standards of Professional Conduct, Etiquette & Code of Ethics) Regulations, 1982.
However, nothing happened for years until the formation of the committee, which was preceded by few parliamentary questions on the matter. In fact, in a reply to the committee's queries, the Department of ISM & H was only interested in passing the responsibility on to the Department of Health and the latter to the government of Uttaranchal. The department of ISM had said, "that the matter was taken up with the State Director (ISM) of Uttaranchal. The department had also issued a letter (on June 3, 2003) to the state government to find out the facts and to take action against Gupta. Another reminder was sent on September 10, 2003 but of no use, it is learnt.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has strongly condemned the laxity of the government and has warned of legal action against Gupta. Speaking to Pharmabiz.com, Dr Anil Bansal, president DMA said that Gupta didn't even have a proper ayurvedic degree as the college from where he claims to have passed out in 1984 had closed down in 1978 due to bad administration!
Dr Bansal also pointed out that Gupta's Ayurvedacharya Degree was taken back by the Delhi Government in 2000 after a complaint from IMA. He said that Gupta is mixing allopathic medicines for epilepsy with some herbs and claiming it to be an ayurvedic drug.
According to him, the state drug control administration had tested Gupta's medicines in 1998 and had come out with a report which stated that the "circular tablet contained 96.04 per cent of phenobarbitone, a Schedule X category anti-epileptic drug that confirms to Indian Pharmacopoeia standards. Dr Bansal also complained that Gupta is purchasing lakhs of rupees worth allopathic medicines for his patients.
In spite of these adverse reports, the website of Gupta www.epilepsyglobal.com continues to project him as "Dr Gupta". According to his website "patients are coming from all over the world. Most of them come from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, USA, England, Australia, Germany, Singapore, Holland, Japan, Indonasia, Dubai etc." It also talks about the divine nature of the medicine "Every Patient is to be given first dose of siddha medicine by doctors own hand of Neeraj Clinic and medicine should not fall on ground until it is taken with water, because it is a siddha medicine (divine)." The website is a demonstration of the "awards" and "recognitions" received by Gupta over the years.
DMA is surprised by the immunity enjoyed by Gupta even after the medical community and now the Parliamentary Committee have clearly exposed his illegal activities. "He is treating patients with standard allopathic drugs in high doses which sometime is very dangerous. He is using the name of Prime Minister of India, President of India and big personalities in his advertisement, which is illegal. DMA requests the Prime Minister of India and chief minister of Uttaranchal to book Gupta and save thousands of poor and ill patients from his clutches," Dr Bansal requests.