Kolkata, Nov. 3 -- Health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee has prepared a report highlighting the alleged irregularities in the erstwhile Trinamool Congress' government's Swasthya Sathi scheme.
The minister also wants the matter investigated by an independent agency. He suspects that officials of the state Health department may also be involved in the alleged corruption. The Health minister said he would submit the report to the Chief Minister in this regard.
Rampant corruption has allegedly been detected in the Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme. Bills have allegedly been raised under the Swasthya Sathi scheme even in the names of deceased individuals.
"There is corruption everywhere. We have become increasingly frustrated with fake beneficiaries and fraudulent bills," the minister stated.
Bills have reportedly been generated repeatedly in the names of deceased patients. In some cases, patients were admitted to hospitals under the scheme and subsequently died.
However, two to three years later, bills were allegedly raised again in their names, showing them as having been readmitted to hospitals. The insurance companies reportedly cleared these bills as well. These startling allegations have been made.
The Health minister said that if there are any complaints against the Health Secretary, the matter should be raised with the Chief Minister.
Mukherjee said that it is beyond his administrative jurisdiction. Earlier, sources in Swasthya Bhavan had indicated that around 30 lakh fake Swasthya Sathi cards had been detected. Alleged financial irregularities amounting to more than Rs 30,000 crore have also come to light.
An allegation also surfaced that a doctor posted in the Swasthya Sathi cell of Swasthya Bhawan took a nursing home in Panskura in East Midnapore on lease in the names of his relatives, and money was taken from patients admitted to the nursing home under Swasthya Sathi.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.