Tag: doctors
Fake doctor claimed to have the cure for diabetes
A Florida man who posed as a doctor claimed he could cure diabetes through a dubious procedure transferring the patient’s own blood back into them, according to officials
Onelio Hipolit-Gonzalez, 73, was arrested Tuesday in connection to a medical scam which advertised his services on a site called “Elclassificado,” according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Hipolit-Gonzalez posed in a white lab coat on the site and claimed he treated a range of illnesses from leukemia to multiple sclerosis, authorities said.
The Florida Department of Health alleges he never had a medical license in the state.
An undercover officer arranged an appointment last week with Hipolit-Gonzalez — who requested $160 for the visit and asked to meet at a residential home, officials said.
“Hipolit-Gonzalez checked the patient’s blood pressure and pulse and then placed a band around the patient’s head and had him hold a metal rod (both the band and the rod were connected to a machine on a table),” authorities said. “Once turned on, the machine began making beeping noises. Hipolit-Gonzalez told the patient, that the device was testing his heart, brain, intestinal system, bones, nerves, and ‘everything else.’”
When the test was complete, the so-called doctor diagnosed the patient with diabetes and osteoporosis, according to authorities.
Hipolit-Gonzalez then claimed he previously cured diabetes for another patient and could treat the undercover cop for $2,000.
Officials said he went on to explain that the treatment would include injecting the patient with “his own blood.”
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office then intervened and brought Hipolit-Gonzalez in for questioning.
When asked about the bizarre procedure, Hipolit-Gonzalez said “he draws the patient’s blood, and then injects the same blood he just withdrew,” according to police.
“He said when the blood enters the body it ‘combats’ the blood cells and increases the immune system,” officials said.
In regards to his medical background, Hipolit-Gonzalez claimed he was a lab technician in Cuba then got a certificate in Florida for iridology, herbology and nutrition.
Charges were filed against Hipolit-Gonzalez for unlicensed practice of a health care profession and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Hipolit-Gonzalez is being held on $10,000 bond.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/02/13/fake-doctor-claimed-to-have-the-cure-for-diabetes-cops/
Doctor accused of impregnating teen he planned to marry
A Missouri doctor facing child pornography charges is accused of impregnating a 16-year-old girl whom he planned to wed, according to court records.
Dr. Ashu Joshi, who works at St. Louis University Hospital, pleaded not guilty to charges of production and receipt of child pornography and transportation of a minor across state lines for sex, the St. Louis Dispatch reported.
Details of the 46-year-old doctor’s alleged relationship with the Kentucky teen were made public last week after he was released from jail on bail.
Prosecutors allege that Joshi began a relationship with the teen girl after treating her mother as a patient.
The teen initially wanted to discuss becoming a doctor with him, according to officials, but later became his babysitter.
The girl’s mother told officials that she knew her daughter was “dating” Joshi, but didn’t approve of them having a sexual relationship.
The alleged relationship became known to authorities after the pair exchanged images containing child porn on Facebook, the St. Louis Dispatch reported. They allegedly traded hundreds of photos and videos, some of which showed the pair naked together, according to officials.
Investigators said Joshi asked the girl to marry him and she admitted to officers that he was the father of her unborn child.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/11/26/doctor-accused-of-impregnating-teen-he-planned-to-marry/
Fake doctor accused of infecting 21 people with HIV
LUCKNOW, India — An Indian health official says a fake doctor treating poor villagers for colds, coughs and diarrhea has infected at least 21 of them with HIV by using contaminated syringes and needles.
Sushil Choudhury, the official, says police are looking for Rajendra Yadav, who has fled Bangarmau, a small town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The villagers say they rarely saw him changing the needles. Choudhury said Tuesday that probably led to the spread of HIV.
With India’s health care system facing a massive shortage of doctors and hospitals, millions of poor people seek fake doctors for cheap treatment.
India had 2.1 million people living with HIV at the end of 2016, according to UNAIDS.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/02/06/fake-doctor-accused-of-infecting-21-people-with-hiv/
Plastic surgeon accused of showing up drunk to operate
A Kentucky plastic surgeon was arrested Monday after allegedly showing up drunk to perform a surgery.
Dr. Theodore Gerstle, of Lexington Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, was scheduled to operate around noon on Monday at the Baptist Heath Lexington, but staff at the hospital were alerted that the physician was intoxicated, hospital spokesperson Ruth Ann Childers told the Lexington Herald Leader.
Gerstle left the hospital, voluntarily and on foot, after the chief medical officer confronted him, WKYT reported. Hospital staff then reportedly called the police. He was arrested a short time later when he was located not far from the hospital.
The surgeon was scheduled for one procedure Monday and had not started operating when he was confronted about his alleged drunken state, Childers told the news station.
“Patient safety is always our number one concern, every day,” Childers said of the incident. “We take these things very seriously and it will be thoroughly investigated.
Gerstle was charged with public intoxication and is being held at the Fayette County Jail, the Herald Leader reported, citing jail records. His staff privileges at the hospital — where he was not technically an employee — have been suspended pending the investigation.
According to the surgical practice’s website, Gerstle, from New York, is “the only Harvard-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon in Lexington,” and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy in West Point.
While it’s unclear what type of surgery Gerstle was scheduled to perform, the practice’s website states he specializes in migraine headaches and a variety of plastic surgery treatments.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/01/16/plastic-surgeon-accused-of-showing-up-drunk-to-operate/