From 15,000 surgeries to suspicion: The dark secrets of camm the cardiologist

DAMOH: While Madhya Pradesh police have arrested N John Camm , alias Dr Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav , after accusations of performing unauthorized surgeries that allegedly resulted in patient deaths, the real challenge now lies in verifying his impressive — yet highly questionable — claim of over 15,000 "complex cardiac operations" spanning three decades. With his medical credentials under scrutiny, investigators must navigate a labyrinth of dubious qualifications to uncover the truth.

Camm will be produced before the local court in Damoh on Tuesday evening for remand and further investigations. "He has accepted that his most certificates are fake. We are trying to verify his degree from the state he claims," said Damoh SP Shrut Kirti Somavanshi.

Camm was arrested on charges of performing unauthorized surgeries after patients allegedly collapsed during or following procedures. If his MBBS degree is found to be fake, then all surgeries he has performed over the years, including his claim of conducting over 15,000 angioplasties, would be considered illegal.



“He has worked with various hospitals in the past. Our task now is to connect each hospital and investigate any patient fatalities,” said an investigating officer. Camm's claim of carrying out such a high volume of procedures raises serious concerns about the validity of his medical qualifications. “If his credentials are proven to be fake, it could render every surgery he performed over the years, including his numerous angioplasties, illegal” said the officer.


Here is what a portal claims about Camm's credentials: "Dr. Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav completed his MRCP (Member, Royal College of Physicians) from prestigious St. George's Hospital London (UK) in 2001. He received extensive training in Interventional Cardiology under Dr. A John Camm. He was awarded membership by the prestigious British Cardiac Society. He joined St. George's Hospital, London as Interventional Cardiologist in 2002. He was appointed as Editor, review panel, British Medical Journal. He was awarded International Associateship from the American College of Cardiology in August 2003. He joined Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi in March 2003. Subsequently, he was offered a Fellowship Program in Complex Angioplasties from RFUMS, North Chicago, IL, USA in 2004 under Dr. Jeffrey B. Lakier. During this tenure, he got training from Dr. Marie Claude Maurice on Bifurcation. Later on, he joined Dr. J Richard Spears, in 2005, for Laser Angioplasty and Rotacs Procedure .


“He came to India in January 2006 and joined Wockhardt Heart Centre, Hyderabad, as Consultant Interventional Cardiologist. He performed a few outstanding cases which were published in a couple of National dailies. He was appointed ‘review author’ of the International Journal of Cardiology. He specializes in Conventional Angiography and Angioplasty, Complex Coronary Interventions, Peripheral Interventions, Pacemaker implantation, ICD implantation, Laser Intervention Device, USG PTCA device, Rotablation Rotational Atherectomy Device, Directional Atherectomy Device, Rotacs Procedure, Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS), and Remote Magnetic Navigation System (Robotic Angioplasty). In the last 10 years, he has done more than 15,000 complex angioplasties including Left Main, TVDs, Bifurcations, CTOs, and Primary Angioplasty .”

However, the police have found his registration with the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council to be fake. Camm has admitted this but verifying the authenticity of his international certificates may prove difficult. "If he's not an MBBS, it’s clear that he’s been learning through other means," said a police officer.

During his two-month stint at Mission Hospital in Damoh, Camm examined about 70 patients, performing surgeries on 13 of them. Seven patients allegedly died after undergoing surgery. Mission Hospital authorities claimed they hired him through a Bhopal-based agency at a salary of Rs 8 lakh per month, but they did not verify his credentials with the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council.

Camm reportedly claims to have obtained his MBBS from the University of North Bengal in 1996. “We are working to verify it,” said SP Somavanshi .

Damoh police have registered a case against Camm under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council Act, accusing him of forgery, unauthorized medical practice, and involvement in patient fatalities.

The case was brought to light after a complaint filed by Dr. M K Jain , Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Damoh, who reported that Camm had performed angiographies and angioplasties without the necessary registration with the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council. Dr. Jain’s investigation uncovered serious discrepancies in Camm’s credentials, with documents from Mission Hospital failing to provide essential registration details.

In response to concerns raised by the District Collector, an investigation team, led by Dr. Jain, Dr. Vishal Shukla (District Vaccination Officer), and Dr. Vikrant Singh Chauhan (District Health Officer), was formed. The team found that several patients had died following surgeries performed by Camm. When the investigation team attempted to locate Camm, they were informed that he had resigned and left the hospital.

Further investigation into his credentials revealed that the registration number on his certificate from the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council was invalid. His name and registration number were not found in online databases, raising further doubts about his legitimacy. Camm’s disappearance from both the hospital and a hotel where he had been residing since February 12 further fueled suspicions.

Authorities are now investigating whether ‘N John Camm’ is the same person as Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, who had previously been arrested in Telangana in a cheating case. Camm, or Yadav, claims to have received his MBBS degree from the University of North Bengal in 1996 and MRCP from St. George's Hospital, London, in 2001, along with training in interventional cardiology under Dr. A John Camm. However, questions regarding the authenticity of his qualifications continue to be central to the investigation.