Sub-standard medicine, dummy patients, fake attendance: CBI to probe corruption into Delhi's 'mohalla clinics'
Mohalla clinic in Delhi
Indian Union Home Ministry has instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate an inquiry into the alleged corruption surrounding the functioning of numerous mohalla (community) clinics in Delhi, media reports said citing sources.
Mohalla clinics arepart of a healthcare initiative in the Indian capital of Delhi, introduced by the government of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
These clinics, launched in October 2015, were introduced as a part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's efforts to improve healthcare accessibility in the capital city.
This came after several discrepancies in the operation of seven mohalla clinics in Delhi came to light and Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended for a CBI probe into the matter.
Investigations by the vigilance department exposed various irregularities, such as the entry of only the digit "0" in the section designated for mobile numbers in 11,657 cases.
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Moreover, spaces were left blank in 8,251 cases whereas fake mobile numbers, including 9999999999, were used in 3,092 cases.
Notably, around a thousand instances involved the repetition of the same number more than 15 times.
These alleged malpractices were reportedly employed to conduct millions of tests on dummy patients.
Later, thepayments were allegedly routed to private diagnostic firms.
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The scale of the alleged scam could be staggering, with the Lieutenant Governor's office estimating it to run into millions of rupees.
'Sub-standard' medicines in mohalla clinics
Allegations have also surfaced regarding the distribution of 'sub-standard' medicines in mohalla clinics. CBI is going to probe into this as well.
Media reports citing sources from the Lieutenant Governor's (L-G) office claimed that unauthorised staff were prescribing tests and medications in the absence of doctors.
The doctors were also allegedly marking attendance through pre-recorded videos.
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Responding to these claims, Delhi BJP leader Harish Khurana criticised the AAP government, accusing them of corruption and endangering the lives of poor residents in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj raised concerns about the BJP-led Centre's actions and questioned the health secretary's accountability.
He cited delays in addressing the alleged issues despite his directives for inspections since April last year.
(With inputs from agencies)