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Staff siphoned ₹4.18 crore from Sassoon account
Staff at Sassoon General Hospital and BJ Medical College siphoned off ₹4.18 crore from the hospital’s drawing and disbursing account between July 31, 2023 and January 2024
PUNE: According to officials, the hospital staff at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) and B J Medical College (BJMC) took advantage of the ongoing turmoil at the institute to siphon ₹4.18 crore from the hospital’s drawing and disbursing (DDO) account between July 31, 2023 and January 2024. During this time, there were multiple administrative and internal issues going on at the institute which helped the accused carry out the transactions without the mandatory permission required from the hospital dean.
Goroba Awate, administrative officer of the SGH, on Friday filed a complaint at the Bund Garden Police Station against 25 people including senior staff members, accountant Anil Mane and cashier Sulekshana Chabukswar. As per the complaint during the audit, it was found that the former retired administrative officers transferred funds from the DDO account to a total 24 private bank accounts. This included 16 bank accounts of hospital staff and eight private persons.
Smartana Patil, deputy commissioner of police, zone 2, said that an offence has been registered against all the accused for criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal breach of trust by public servants with common intention. “The accused include the office superintendent, five nurses, seven clerical staff (four from Baramati Medical College), one social worker, class 4 staff and ward boy and eight private persons. The cases have been transferred to the economic offences wing for further investigations,” she said.
Dr Ekanth Pawar, dean of BJMC, said that all these staff have been suspended as per orders of the medical education commissioner. They took advantage of the administrative disturbance at the institute to plot the fraud. “After we learnt about the misappropriation of funds, a committee was established by us in July and the report was sent to the medical education department. Later, a committee was established by the medical education commissioner which conducted the probe and directed that suspension action be taken and an FIR be filed,” he said.
Between July 31, 2023 and January 2024, the hospital faced several issues including a Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) order on July 12, 2023 in favour of Dr Vinayak Kale quashing his transfer and reinstating him as the dean of BJMC within two weeks. Later, the then dean Dr Sanjeev Thakur challenged the decision of the MAT in the Bombay High Court (HC) and had to frequently travel to Mumbai. Thereafter, the HC ordered in favour of Dr Kale in October 2023.
Further during this period, drug cartel kingpin Lalit Patil who had been admitted to the prisoners’ ward at SGH, escaped on the evening of October 2, a day before his scheduled Hernia surgery, leading to several inquiries and arrest. Dr Pravin Deokate, head of the orthopaedic department at BJMC, was suspended and later arrested for recommending an extended stay for Patil at the hospital. Leader of the opposition and member of legislative council (MLC) Ambadas Danve in October last year visited the SGH and demanded action for inadequate facilities with no supply of medicines and a shortage of doctors at the hospital.
During the same time, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar pulled up the college and hospital administration for the liquor party and ensuing chaos that took place on the premises on New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2023). A few post-graduate students in the male residents’ hostel allegedly consumed alcohol and went to the female residents’ hostel where they created chaos.
