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Remdesivir row: FIR recommended against Mohali’s Mayo Hospital
Inquiry panel has found Mayo Hospital (now Mount Star Hospital) guilty of black-marketing 83 remdesivir injections in the past one month
Finding Mayo Hospital (now Mount Star Hospital) in Mohali’s Sector 69 guilty of black-marketing 83 remdesivir injections in the past one month, a four-member inquiry committee has recommended penal and legal action against it.
Remdesivir is used for the treatment of Covid patients and is being provided to private hospitals at controlled rates by the state government. The inquiry was initiated after allegations of irregularities at the private hospital.
In the report submitted to Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan, the committee has recommended an FIR against the hospital management, chief financial officer (CFO) Mukesh Sharma, his son Kshitij Sharma and the pharmacy on its premises. The hospital changed its name to Mount Star about 10 days ago due to an ongoing litigation.
The committee found that bills for the injection were issued in the name of a prominent cement manufacturing firm besides the CFO and a few doctors of the hospital. One bill was also issued in the name of a woman on March 17 even as she was admitted on March 18. While doctors reportedly denied getting any injections, the reply to the show-cause notice issued to the hospital was also unsatisfactory, the committee stated in its report.
When the controversy erupted, the three directors of the hospital — Deepak Tyagi, Virender Dhankhad and Dr Manoj Sharma — had accused the CFO and his son of illegally procuring remdesivir injections and selling them at a premium to patients outside the hospital. The CFO, on the other hand, has alleged that the directors had fabricated documents pertaining to the drug sale to frame him. Both allegations are being probed by police.
Subdivisional magistrate (SDM) Jadgeep Sehgal, who was part of the inquiry committee, said: “When the management was aware that the CFO is selling injections illegally, then why did they not inform the administration? Also, how come the pharmacy gave an injection to the CFO’s son? It is clear the hospital made huge profit by selling the injections in the black market.”
According to sources in the administration, the hospital procured the injections from the state government for ₹1,800 each and sold them for nearly ₹40,000, pocketing over 2,000% profit, even as private facilities are required to sell remdesivir at the same rate at which it is procured under the National Health Mission. Its current price varies between ₹1,150 and ₹2,500, depending on the brand.
“I have received the report, on the basis of which strict action will be taken against the hospital,” said the deputy commissioner. An FIR will be registered against the guilty under the Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Diseases Act and other relevant penal provisions.
The inquiry committee also included deputy superintendent of police Deep Kamal, senior medical officer Dr Vijay Bhagat and drug inspector Jai Jai Singh.
