(Trinidad Guardian) A 36-year-old man who impersonated a doctor at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital has been jailed for eight months.
Satyam Harrilal who previously worked as a clerical assistant at a private hospital admitted that twice he went to the hospital pretending to be a doctor.
He appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court at the Madinah Building before Magistrate Anslem Leander.
Since the COVID-19 restrictions were initiated, the court has been having virtual hearings to reduce the spread of the virus, but yesterday Leander held hearings in the physical courtroom.
Harrilal claimed that he went to the hospital to visit a patient, but he did not give a reason for his actions.
Prosecutor Sgt Harold Ishmael said last Thursday around 2.30 pm Harrilal hastily bypassed the security post and entered the elevator on the ground floor of the hospital.
When the estate constable called out to him to provide his identification, he exclaimed, “Oh gosh, you don’t know me!” He was wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
About 20 minutes later, Harrilal returned to the security post but this time he was dressed in blue jeans, medical scrubs, disposable sanitary shoes and a stethoscope around his neck. He approached the estate constable and told her he was a medical doctor attached to the old wing of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) but he did not give his name.
On Monday he returned to the hospital wearing a green scrub and blue jeans. When he saw the same estate constable, he quickly turned around and headed out of the building towards the old wing. The estate constable became suspicious and informed her superior of her observations. They pursued Harrilal and asked him whether he was a medical doctor. He claimed to be a doctor attached to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital doing consultant work at the SFGH. However, he claimed he left his identification in his car which he loaned to his girlfriend. He accompanied the estate constables to their office where their inquires revealed that he was not a doctor. They took him to the police station and handed him over to the WPC Harnarinesingh. When the officer asked him where he got the scrubs and stethoscope, he again claimed that he was working at the port of Spain general hospital and a nurse from the SFGH gave it to him.
Prosecutor Ishmael confirmed that he had no previous convictions or pending matters. However, the magistrate felt that especially now at a time where frontline workers are battling COVID-19, his actions warranted a custodial sentence.
