PMC to begin inspection of private hospitals empanelled under UPHC

The aforementioned incident took place at Modern Hospital in Nana Peth between May 20 and May 30, 2024, officials said

After a renowned knee surgeon from the city was booked last week for allegedly creating fake details of patients and faking records of surgery to avail the beneficiary money under the Pune Municipal Corporation-run Urban Poor Health Scheme, the civic body has decided to begin inspection of private hospitals empanelled under the scheme, officials said. The aforementioned incident took place at Modern Hospital in Nana Peth between May 20 and May 30, 2024, officials said.

The PMC has over 140 private hospitals—corporate, small, and medium-sized – empanelled under the UPHS. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health chief of the PMC and head of the UPHS, said that the inspection of hospitals empanelled under the scheme will begin next week. “The ward medical officers and zonal medical officers will conduct surprise visits and check the records of the patients’ treatment under the scheme. Besides, the civic body will also check records of patients who have been treated under the scheme with the civic body paying the bills. Random records of patients will be cross-verified,” he said.

Dr Wavare further said, “The objective of the drive is to make sure that the money is spent on genuine needy patients and there is no misuse of the funds. If we come across any malpractice, stringent action will be taken such as filing of criminal cases, disempanellment of hospitals etc.”

The PMC has over 140 private hospitals—corporate, small, and medium-sized – empanelled under the UPHS. There are over 90,000 beneficiaries of the scheme. Each beneficiary family is provided with a UPHS card by the civic body. The PMC initiated the UPHS in 2021 to provide free or discounted medical treatment to economically weaker sections at hospitals affiliated with the UPHS. The scheme was previously limited to citizens with an annual income of up to ₹1 lakh but was later expanded to ₹2 lakh in 2019. Under the scheme, the PMC bears the cost of treatment up to ₹1 lakh in case of illness and up to ₹2 lakh in case of critical illness. The civic authority spends approximately ₹50 to 60 crores on this scheme every year, officials said.

A senior official on condition of anonymity said that following allegations of corruption and misconduct, municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale in August last year reshuffled the departments of all health officials in a bid to bring in transparency. “This scheme is a boon to needy patients but in the past few years, there have been several incidents of malpractice and people trying to take undue advantage of the scheme with the help of officials. However, hardly any action was taken,” the senior official claimed.