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Fake medical expert sentenced

25/01/2008

An unqualified man who posed as a medical expert has been sentenced today after he made thousands of pounds from treating people.

Gurmukh Singh, 49, of St John's Road, Old Trafford, illegally imported unlicensed steroid creams from India and supplied them to people, including children, across Manchester.

He claimed to be a doctor practicing in Ayurvedic medicine - a traditional Indian system of medicine, recognised by the World Health Organisation - and charged members of the public for a consultation.

Families gave him a total of £2,000 for his services.

One man paid £800 for treatment of his eczema but only saw the condition get worse. In parts his skin turned black and peeled off.

In December he was convicted of four counts of deception and at Manchester crown court today Singh was given a six-month suspended jail sentence, 60 hours of community service and a two-month curfew.

Detective Sergeant Lindsey Curry said: "This man abused one of the most sacred positions of responsibility in a community.

"He may well have had genuine intentions to help people, but he was unqualified to do so and massively overcharged for his services."

A spokesperson for the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association (APA) said: "Such incidents illustrate the urgent need for statutory regulation of the traditional medicine sector in the UK.

"Fortunately, all professional Ayurvedic associations in this country have been actively engaged in the process of statutory regulation, which has Department of Health backing and is currently anticipated to commence in 2009.

"Until then, voluntary regulation bodies like the APA ensure that their members are adequately trained and also adhere to appropriate codes of professional practice."