PCMC hospital staff found using fake receipts to syphon money

According to officials, the alleged fraud involved issuing patients bills of higher amounts while recording lower amounts on the respective carbon copies thereby enabling staff to pocket the difference

In yet another case of financial irregularity in civic hospitals, four staff members at a hospital run by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have been found to have manipulated billing records and siphoned off lakhs of rupees, officials said on Wednesday.

It is suspected that four staff members at Prabhakar Malhar Kute Memorial Hospital in Akurdi, including one permanent employee and three contractual workers, are involved. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

According to officials, the alleged fraud involved issuing patients bills of higher amounts while recording lower amounts on the respective carbon copies thereby enabling staff to pocket the difference.

It is suspected that four staff members at Prabhakar Malhar Kute Memorial Hospital in Akurdi, including one permanent employee and three contractual workers, are involved. The group allegedly siphoned off around ₹9.25 lakh over a period of time, said Dr Balasaheb Hodgar, medical superintendent of the hospital.

Dr Hodgar said that the anomaly came to light during routine verification. “A patient had two bills and paid only one. When we asked him to clear the remaining amount and checked the receipts, we found discrepancies in the billing. An inquiry has been initiated and notices have been issued to the concerned staff,” he said.

Following the findings at Akurdi, the PCMC carried out inspections at other hospitals during which, a similar pattern of misappropriation of funds was detected at a civic-run Bhosari hospital. A detailed audit of the hospital’s records is currently underway.

Dr Laxman Gophane, chief medical officer of PCMC, confirmed the development and said that further action will be taken based on the inquiry report. “A detailed inquiry is in progress, and a report will be submitted to the general administration department. Action will be taken as per the findings,” he said.

However, this is not the first instance of financial misconduct at PCMC-run hospitals. In December 2024, a clerk and a senior officer at Jijamata Hospital in Pimpri were found involved in a fraud in which ₹18.66 lakh was collected from patients while depositing only ₹8.89 lakh in the bank, resulting in a misappropriation of ₹9.76 lakh, officials said.

In another case in November 2023, a contractual employee at the cash counter of Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) was found using fabricated receipts to siphon off money. The employee was issuing genuine receipts to patients while submitting fake receipts with lower amounts to the hospital, pocketing the difference, officials said.