Jaipur: Health department officials have found that some private hospitals in Sikar had taken money from beneficiaries of Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana (BSBY), which is a cashless scheme. The scheme has now been merged with Ayushman Bharat. Recently, chief minister Ashok Gehlot had hinted at irregularities in the former BJP government’s BSBY scheme.
“When we inspected a private hospital, a pregnant woman complained that the hospital had taken money from her for investigations, medicines and sonography. They also sold a baby kit to her after delivery which had formula milk powder. The patients were also asked to arrange for blood and to pay required charges at blood banks,” said Dr Ajay Chaudhary, chief medical health officer, Sikar.
Besides, the health department officials also alleged that the government hospital — SK Hospital, Sikar — was hand-in-gloves with private hospitals. “In the initial investigations, we found that there are touts who act as middlemen between government and private hospitals to benefit private hospitals. These touts identify beneficiaries of government insurance scheme and encourage the patients coming to government hospitals to get treated in private hospitals,” said Dr Chaudhary.
The inspecting team had found a patient with injury on his feet, who first took treatment at a government hospital and later he was found at private hospital. The health department official team sent the patient back to the government hospital for treatment.
The inspection team of health department also found that the private hospitals are organising health camps in villages and they are identifying patients, who are beneficiaries of government’s health insurance scheme. “They take these patients to private hospitals by providing them transportation, where the hospitals conduct their surgeries. We directed the private hospitals not to conduct any surgery without consent of the patients and their families,” said Dr Chaudhary.
Source: The Times of India
25-09-2019
