A Gujarat doctor’s public-relations exercise to showcase her dedication to her profession has been exposed, drawing criticism from eminent Indian and international doctors. It has also raised questions about medical ethics besides misuse of social media to promote medical services.
Surat-based Dr. Kalpana Savani, one of the owners of Maate Hospital, which describes itself as a High-Risk Pregnancy Centre, was visible on several social media accounts that lauded her sincerity and commitment to her profession. She was videographed as a doctor enjoying and playing Garba. She then claimed to rush to her hospital after an emergency call to attend to a patient.
Several posts subsequently praised her commitment to her profession. She had claimed She rushed to the hospital from the Navratri Garba venue, booking a Rapido.
The doctor found praise in national media also. In video interviews, she said, “I received an emergency call from the hospital between approximately 12:30 am and 1 am during Navratri, I booked a Rapido and rushed to attend to a critically ill patient.”
The patient was described as a citizen from Bardoli and had been reportedly admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).
Images circulated online showed Dr Savani first dancing at the Garba venue and then in the hospital, with a ventilator visible in the background. She was wearing her same Garba outfit. Reports carrying her account claimed the patient’s life following her emergency treatment.
The story initially attracted much praise online, with the doctor being portrayed as someone who put her professional responsibilities ahead of personal life and festival celebrations.
However, the narrative subsequently stands exposed as a scripted exercise and has came under scrutiny from doctors who have exposed her. Dr Kalpana Savani, it has been revealed is a homeopath and according to rules, cannot treat the patient shown in through social media.
She is not medically qualified to conduct the treatment she depicts in the video.
After the video praising Dr Kalpana Savani went viral, Dr Nildeepsinh Gohil questioned her qualifications to attend to the emergency and filed a complaint with the Gujarat Medical Council. He was directed to file a complaint with the CDHO (Chief District Health Officer), as Dr Kalpana Savani is a BHMS-qualified practitioner and falls under the CDHO’s jurisdiction.
Doctors Question the ICU Images and Qualifications
The episode has since been exposed as a publicity stunt. Dr Kalpana Savani holds a Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) degree and hence is not authorised to be in an ICU. Concerns have been raised about her role in managing a critical-care emergency. She apparently is the owner of the Maate Hospital absolutely is married to the co owner Dr Vishal who is a gynecologist.
It has been exposed that the entire episode, meticulously filmed, released and shared on social media, was outsourced to a professional agency handling social media and PR.
Dr Varun C., an Indian physician (@drcheruvarun), questioned the authenticity of the apparent emergency scene on X. He wrote: “…this whole charade appears to be a badly staged publicity stunt for the hospital this couple runs.”
He also questioned the ventilator display visible in the image, claiming that its waveform appeared inconsistent with an actual patient being ventilated and suggesting that the machine might have been used only as a prop.
Another prominent critic, hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, widely known on social media as TheLiverDoc (@theliverdoc), questioned the doctor’s credentials and the hospital’s advertised critical-care services.
In his X post, addressed to the Union Ministry of AYUSH and the relevant homoeopathy regulatory bodies, he asked how a BHMS practitioner could be involved in an emergency requiring intensive care.
Dr Philips also questioned whether the hospital had qualified medical personnel available to manage the emergency and called for scrutiny of the hospital’s professional arrangements.
The two doctors’ posts have shifted the discussion from an apparently inspiring story about professional dedication to questions about clinical responsibility, medical advertising and the verification of qualifications.
What Do the Medical Regulations Say?
The central regulatory question is whether the practitioner’s recognised qualifications and registration authorised the specific treatment she allegedly provided.
India has separate regulations for modern medicine and homoeopathy. The National Medical Commission (NMC) regulates medical practitioners in modern medicine, while the National Commission for Homoeopathy oversees the homoeopathy system.
The NMC’s Code of Medical Ethics Regulations, 2002, states that a person without a recognised qualification in modern medicine and the requisite registration cannot practise modern medicine. The precise legal position in this case would depend on the doctor’s qualifications, registration, the nature of the clinical intervention and any applicable legal provisions or authorised scope of practice.
A BHMS qualification means a practitioner is not authorised to manage an ICU emergency using modern-medicine procedures.
Questions About the Hospital’s Other Medical Content
Social-media users have also circulated photographs involving her husband Dr Vishal Savani, depicting him holding new born babies in a debatable manner, igniting questions about safety.
Demands for Independent Investigation
Several doctors and concerned citizens have called for relevant authorities to examine the Dr Kalpana Savani episode. The questions include whether she was appropriately qualified for the clinical role, whether qualified critical-care personnel were present and whether the social-media narrative accurately represented the events.
The case has also raised broader concerns about use of dramatic personal narratives to promote healthcare institutions. While social media can definitely help doctors communicate with the public, can it mislead patients about a practitioner’s qualifications or role.
16 ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’-Style Fake Doctors Arrested in Surat
Notably, just a few days ago, Surat Police arrested 16 fake doctors who had studied only up to Classes 10 and 12 and held no qualifications to practise medicine, yet had been running clinics. They were reportedly posing as qualified doctors, treating patients with allopathic medicines, prescribing medication, administering injections and putting patients on saline and glucose drips.
Following this case, concerns about medical qualifications and patient safety had already come into focus. The subsequent incident involving Dr Kalpana Savani has further drawn attention to doctors’ qualifications and the potential risks to patient safety.
Also Read: Instagram Accounts Suspended, Protesters Detained In Ahmedabad Over CEC Resignation Demand
