(Trinidad Express) Satyam Harrilal who was sentenced to eight months in prison for impersonating a medical doctor while at the San Fernando General Hospital, would not have had access to treat any patients.
An official at the hospital yesterday, in response to the Express’s query of whether Harrilal attempted to treat patients at the institution said, “The individual would not have been able to gain access for such.”
The official added, “Our internal personnel have indicated that based on surveillance, there were no interactions with patients.”
Harrilal, 36, a former clerical assistant at another hospital, appeared before San Fernando magistrate Anslem Leander on Wedneday. He said he was guilty of the charge laid by constable Harnarinesingh.
Police prosecutor Sgt Harold Ishmael told the court that around 2.30 p.m. last week Thursday, a female estate constable was on duty at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital (SFTH) when she saw Harrilal. He hastily passed the security post and entered the elevator on the ground floor of the building. The officer called out to him and asked for his identification and he told her that she did not know him. The elevator door closed and she was unable to reach him. At that time, Harrilal was in a pair of jeans and wore a white t-shirt.
About 20 minutes later, when he returned to the security post, he was wearing green medical personnel wear, known as a scrub and disposable sanitary shoes. He had a stethoscope around his neck. He told the security officer that he was a medical doctor attached to the old wing of the San Fernando General Hospital. The officers requested his name but he did not respond.
Around mid-day last Monday, Harrilal returned to the SFTH, again dressed in the green top and jeans. He looked in the security guard’s direction, turned and left the building.
She and a senior security officer followed. When they met and asked Harrilal, he said he was a doctor, attached to the Port of Spain General Hospital but doing consultancy work at the San Fernando General Hospital. They asked for identification but he said it was in his car which he loaned to his girlfriend. He accompanied then to their office.
Investigations later revealed that Harrilal was not a person qualified or authorized to practice medicine or surgery and he was not a member of the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago.
He was taken the San Fernando police station. Harnarinesingh continued investigations and also took possession of Harilal’s top and the stethoscope. He said the top belonged to him as he was working at the Port of Spain General Hospital but a nurse from SFGH had given it to him.
Leander heard that Harrilal was a former clerk at a hospital in St James. While no reason was given for his actions, it was said that he went to SFTH to visit a patient who was not related to him.
Ishmael said Harrilal had no previous convictions.
Leander sentenced him to eight months hard labour.