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Documents seized from Sangrur civil surgeon’s office as PMJAY scam probe starts
Knee replacement beneficiaries are being verified in Sangrur. It is also being ascertained if they were made to pay for it.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has started an investigation into the alleged anomalies in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in the state. Officials on Monday said they had received an input regarding an alleged scam, especially in the knee replacement package of the scheme.
The VB seized documents from the Sangrur civil surgeon’s office pertaining to the scheme that offers free treatment up to ₹5 lakh per family in a year. Officials are learnt to have been checking the records of the beneficiaries who underwent knee replacement. Beneficiaries are being contacted to verify if they actually underwent treatment and also if they got the services for free.
Among the cases under lens involve a health institution where knee replacements in a large number were carried out in a single day that is practically not possible.
A senior vigilance official, who is privy to the investigation, said, “We have seized the records from the Sangrur civil surgeon’s office.”
On Friday, the bureau had laid hands on some records at the Sangrur civil hospital regarding the knee replacement operations carried out there. Also, VB sleuths had visited the operation theatre (OT) of the hospital and had interacted with orthopaedic surgeons who perform knee replacement surgeries.
Meanwhile, some doctors of government hospitals informed the HT that inflated bills — by adding surgical items that were not even used in the surgery — were submitted under the Ayushman Bharat scheme for total knee replacement (TKR). “We have a documented proof that epidural kit, which is being used by an anesthetist for prolonged anaesthesia, is being charged for TKR implant in government hospitals. But patients’ hospital record reveals that only spinal anaesthesia was given,” they informed, seeking anonymity.
Meanwhile, Sangrur civil surgeon Dr Kirpal Singh did not respond to repeated calls.
It is pertinent to mention here that various scams have already come to fore in implementation of this scheme. A few years ago, health officials in Patiala had to cancel hundreds of fake Ayushman cards after media reports highlighted that such a card could be availed by paying just ₹2,000. In one more incident, two doctors, employed under the National Health Mission Punjab, were suspended in Barnala for allegedly taking money from eligible patients by telling them that their health scheme cards were not operational.
The PMJAY is a flagship national health scheme of the Union government to achieve the vision of universal health coverage.
