A prominent Indian doctor and majority owner of a Las Vegas clinic chain has surrendered his medical license following a probe into allegations of unsafe medical practices.
NEW YORK: A prominent Indian doctor and majority owner of a Las Vegas clinic chain has surrendered his medical license following a probe into allegations of unsafe medical practices, including reusing of syringes and vials, at a centre which may have put over 40,000 patients at risk.
The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners had requested Dipak K Desai, owner of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada where six cases of Hepatitis have been confirmed, to voluntarily stop practicing medicine, until the Board's investigation into allegations has been completed.
The Board said Desai had agreed to surrender his license, pending a probe into the centre's operations but did not give a timeframe as to how long the investigation may take.
A second Indian doctor linked to the scandal Vishvinder Sharma also resigned from the State Medical Board but did not turn over his medical license, local media reports said.
The FBI has also joined the investigation of the Endoscopy Center for possible Medicare fraud. Investigators want to know whether the center billed Medicare for 30-minute appointments that did not last that long.
The clinic may have also committed fraud for billing Medicare for two vials in instances when only one was used, officials said.
As many as 40,000 people may have been infected with the deadly Hepatitis C virus or HIV from the clinic over the last four years, officials said, adding six of Desai's facilities have been closed.
Desai, who has been practising medicine in Nevada for 28 years, is reportedly an alumnus of Gujarat University.
According to officials, more clinics are possibly using unsafe practices and new investigations are getting underway.
Four new clinics have been discovered reusing dirty syringes. Investigators still need to check 30 clinics in the state.
Nevada will also get federal help on Tuesday when Centers for Disease Control agents will come to assist all the new inspections.
The facility became the focal point of a massive health alert when health officials found clinic staffers reusing syringes and vials containing anesthesia medication.
Nevada authorities had issued a health notification urging thousands of people who have used Desai's facilities to get tested for infections.
So far, six cases of hepatitis C have been confirmed.
Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, said he believes Desai's action to stop practicing was appropriate.
"That is a good step," he said.
Desai's move came two days after five nurse anesthetists associated with his clinics voluntarily surrendered their licenses at the request of the state nursing
board.
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