Kolkata, Oct. 30 -- State Health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said that the state government would conduct a forensic audit of the Swasthya Sathi health scheme, after verification reportedly failed to establish the whereabouts of an estimated 30-40 lakh listed beneficiaries. Expenditure linked to these fictitious beneficiaries could run into Rs 25,000-30,000 crore, he said.
The announcement comes amid controversy over the scheme, with the BJP-led state government flagging alleged irregularities in its implementation. The development also comes at a time when former Tourism minister Indranil Sen has been arrested by Kolkata Police over allegations that Bengal's UNESCO tag for Durga Puja was used to promote a private venture. Describing the alleged irregularities as only the beginning of a much larger scam, Mukherjee said: "Only the opening batsman has come to play, and this is the nature of the scam. around Rs 25,000-30,000 crore. This is not a T20 game; it will take time. From fake cards, diseases and beneficiaries to doctors, forged signatures, third-party administrator companies and fake hospitals, the list is huge.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. We will conduct a forensic audit of this financial scam, much like a post-mortem, and examine every minute detail of the Swasthya Sathi scheme. Just as we found several male beneficiaries under the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme, similar irregularities have come to light here as well." The minister was speaking on the sidelines of a health conference in Kolkata on Thursday. The Swasthya Sathi scheme was launched by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in December 2016.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sayantan Basu on Friday said at a Press conference that former CM Mamata Banerjee looked after the Health and Family Welfare during her regime. So, she must be brought under investigation.
On Thursday, the minister also issued a warning to a section of junior doctors, interns and postgraduate trainees who have allegedly sold their hospital duty shifts during Durga Puja. Responding to allegations by junior doctors that gaps in infrastructure and facilities at government hospitals were pushing patients towards private healthcare, Mukherjee dismissed their concerns. "Those junior doctors are a minuscule section of society. They are Maoist, Leninist and Marxist doctors. They do not represent the entire junior doctor fraternity. Let us be clear about that. They are demanding justice for Abhaya, but the same doctors do not raise their voices when their colleagues sell their duty shifts.
Duties were traded for money, which is illegal. If you have a spine, come forward and name those who sold their duties. We know who they are. It is because of them that the entire junior doctor fraternity is being blamed," he said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.