Doctor under scanner for ‘fleecing patients’

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 1

The alleged nexus between government doctors and pharmaceuticals companies has once again come to the fore at the Government Rajindra Hospital.

A senior orthopaedician at the hospital is reportedly under scanner for fleecing poor patients. The medical superintendent has ordered an inquiry against the doctor after receiving a complaint from a patient. 

The patient, in fact, had filed a complaint to the Chief Minster’s Office (CMO), consequently, the CM’s office directed the medical superintendent (MS) to conduct a probe into the matter. 

The superintendent formed a three-member committee comprising of senior doctors to probe into the matter.

In the complaint, the patient alleged that the senior orthopaedician forced him to buy medicines and other surgical items, including implants, from a particular chemist shop on the periphery of the hospital.

Significantly, the sources informed that the costly items, required in different transplants were directly purchased by the said doctor or his accomplice. The implants were, later on, directly delivered to the operation theatre while the patients were given a slip to pay the amount. 

Meanwhile, the inquiry members on Friday raided the OPD and office of the said doctor to verify the claims of the complainant.

The inquiry members said they would investigate the matter and submit the report to the MS next week.

Deputy Medical Superintendent, Rajindra Hospital, Vinod Dangwal said the committee had already started their work and action would be taken on the report submitted by the committee. 

Medical Superintendent, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Doctor dismissed

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) dismissed a pediatrician of Mata Kaushalya Hospital in Patiala for an alleged nexus with private medical stores. 

Last week, the said doctor was found to be prescribing expensive medicines from outside the hospital. He was also found to be prescribing brand names of the medicines instead of their salts.