Implants supplied to PGIMS OT sans rate contract: Probe

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, December 24

The report of a fact-finding inquiry into the allegations of corruption against a former director of the Rohtak PGIMS has maintained that implants were being illegally supplied to the PGIMS operation theatre by a private supplier without any rate contract.

The inquiry was instituted by the authorities of the Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences (UHS), Rohtak, on a complaint by the father of a girl from Uttar Pradesh who was admitted to the PGIMS for treatment.

The complaint lodged by Isha Ali, a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, against Dr RK Gupta, a former director of the PGIMS, contained allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the treatment of his daughter.

“The doctor told me that the surgery entailed an expenditure of Rs 45,000. He told me to pay the said amount to a private implant supplier. I gave Rs 40,500 to the implant supplier. However, while the surgery was in progress, the said implant supplier came out of the operation theatre and asked me to pay Rs 30,000 more. I somehow managed an amount of Rs 10,000, gave it to him and requested that I would give him Rs 20,000 within a day or two. At this, the orthopaedic surgeon as well as the implant supplier abused me publicly,” he had alleged.

Ali had complained that when the said surgeon came to know that he had brought the matter to the notice of the PGIMS authorities, he stopped treating his daughter and she was discharged.

The UHS authorities asked RK Verma, a retired IAS officer, to conduct a fact-finding inquiry into the allegations levelled by the complainant.

The inquiry report points out that the implant supplier did not get the implants checked by security personnel at the gate of the PGIMS and the operating surgeon did not bother to countersign the prescribed proforma.

“It is seen that irregularities were being committed by doctors,” remarks the report.

Regarding the complainant’s allegation that no rate contract had been done by the department, the report notes that in his cross-examination, Dr RK Gupta had admitted that some attempts had been made, but the rate-contract could not mature because of lack of response from vendors.

“Dr RK Gupta had been the director of the PGIMS for about two years and is now a senior professor of the orthopaedics. He does not seem to have taken enough steps in removing the complaints of patients about higher charges of implants by the vendors,” states the report.

It maintains that the said allegation prima facie stands proved, while no other allegation (levelled by the complainant) stands proved.

Plaint against ex-director

A complaint lodged by Isha Ali, a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, against Dr RK Gupta, a former director of the PGIMS, contained allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the treatment of his daughter