Fake Covid-19 certificates: Pabna’s Rooppur Medicare Clinic sealed off

The local health department authority today sealed off Rooppur Medicare Clinic, in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna, for issuing fake Covid-19 certificates and charging patients for treatment.

Asma Khan, Ishwardi upazila health officer, along with a number of law enforcers went to the clinic around 10:30am and sealed it off on this ground, our local correspondent reports.

Rooppur Medicare has collected samples of workers from different local sub-contracting firms of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant without any permission from the health department and provided fake Covid-19 certificates, Asma Khan said after sealing off the clinic.

On July 8, law enforcers raided the clinic and arrested its owner Abdul Wahab Rana, on charge of issuing fake Covid-19 certificates and a Pabna court sent him to jail the next day in this connection, she said.

"It is an unauthorised clinic for Covid-19 test. We sealed it off as its authority did not stop operation despite taking such legal action," the upazila health officer said.

A case was filed against Abdul Wahab Rana, owner of the clinic, his partners Sujon Ahmed and Dr Abu Sayeed, who is chairman of Brahmanbaria Medical College and Hospital, with Ishwardi Police Station on charge of running Covid-19 test at the unauthorised clinic.

They used to provide reports with a signature of Abu Sayeed, chairman of Brahmanbaria Medical College and Hospital, according to Nasir Uddin, OC of the police station.

The clinic used to charge Tk 4,000-5,000 for a test though they had no permission to conduct such tests, the OC said.