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Question on ORS busts Ballia nurses’ job racket
The implications are significant — staff nurses in UP government medical facilities earn approximately ₹70,000 monthly
A staff nurse’s inability to answer basic questions about oral rehydration solution (ORS) exposed a recruitment racket in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, leading to an FIR against 15 personnel who had been working on forged appointment letters — some for as long as four years, officials said on Sunday.
The racket meant people visiting the primary health centre (PHC) in the district were likely being tended to by unqualified paramedics, even as they earned ₹70,000 a month. It unravelled during a November visit by Ballia’s chief medical officer Dr Vijay Pati Dwivedi, who asked one of the nurses at the facility about the correct ratio for mixing ORS with water for dehydration patients. When the nurse failed to answer, Dr Dwivedi probed further with two more basic questions: how to maintain proper hand hygiene while working in wards, and what steps to take when a fever patient arrives. These were all fundamental concepts taught in first-year nursing. The nurse’s visible discomfort and inability to answer prompted the CMO to investigate her educational background and appointment details.
“The matter came to light during an inspection at a primary health centre (PHC) when I asked a newly joined staff nurse ‘what is the ratio of ORS to be mixed in water for a patient of dehydration’,” Dr Dwivedi said on Sunday. The inspection then triggered a broader investigation that revealed a disturbing pattern of fraudulent appointments.
The implications are significant — staff nurses in UP government medical facilities earn approximately ₹70,000 monthly, meaning the scam has resulted in substantial financial fraud over the years of operation.
“A fake ID was used to get the job, the primary investigation has found. The matter will be investigated at the directorate level,” said Dr Ratan Pal Singh Suman, director general medical health, Uttar Pradesh.
He elaborated that “on Monday, the director nursing will further check documents and the processing in this case at the headquarters. Our primary task is to go in-depth in this case and, if required, more appointments will be scrutinised, but this decision will be taken on Monday.”
In the meantime, the beneficiaries of the fraud appear to have gone underground. The day after the initial inspection, Dr Dwivedi summoned all 15 staff nurses to his office, requesting they bring their complete educational and appointment documentation. Instead of complying, all of them abruptly stopped coming to work without notice.
A seven-member inquiry team was established, comprising an additional CMO, a health officer, and five clerical staff. Each clerical staff member was assigned specific verification tasks, including examining character certificates, high school and intermediate marksheets, and the crucial joining letters.
The investigation revealed a systematic deception involving multiple layers of bureaucracy. The inquiry team discovered that clerical staff at the Ballia chief medical officer’s office had granted immediate postings to the nurses based on joining letters they claimed were issued by the directorate of medical health, Lucknow. The verification process for these letters was initiated after the postings were already made.
Making matters more complex, the first verification attempt received a response from the directorate indicating the letters were genuine, which led to salary processing and first-month payments. “This time, the directorate acknowledged that the documents submitted (joining letter) were not issued from the directorate. Also, the joining letter had fake signature of the joint director (nursing),” Dr Dwivedi explained.
Officials said that the probe will also include how the initial verification of the nurses were completed successfully.
The Kotwali police in Ballia registered an FIR on February 22 under multiple IPC sections, including 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (fraud), 467 (forging document), 468 (use of forged document for cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). The charges fall under the IPC rather than the newer Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as the alleged crime occurred in January 2020.
All accused are Ballia district natives, with some reportedly joining in 2020 and others in 2023 during a major recruitment drive when 1,354 nurses were selected through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC).
The investigation was delayed due to allegedly false communication “managed” by the accused, but action was eventually taken. “Salary of all 15 was stopped from November 2024 only as soon as we got confirmed about the forged document,” Dr Dwivedi said.
