15 Aam Aadmi Clinics under lens for discrepancies in record

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, February 23

The issue of inflated OPD entries has been rocking the Health Department in the past and instances of same have been found in Ludhiana as well. Fifteen Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) are under the scanner of the Health Department while a show-cause notice to two is on the cards. Presently, there are 75 AACs in the district.

During the audit, it came to the fore that multiple entries of the same patient had been made to increase the patient count. It was also learnt that doctors were repeatedly calling patients suffering from chronic diseases like blood pressure to the clinic after every three to four days. The record of some patients was found in the doctor’s entry register, but not in the pharmacists’ record.

Fifteen Aam Aadmi Clinics that came under the scanner are at Star City Tibba Road, Bhagwan Nagar, Haibowal Kalan, Corporation Office near Durga Mata Mandir, Indra Park Giaspura, Dharamsala New Kuldip Nagar, Sufia Chowk, Salem Tabri, Qilla Mohalla, Dugri, Lalheri Road Khanna, Dhandari Kalan, Jassian Road, Corporation Old Age Home and Partap Nagar.

Civil Surgeon Dr Jasbir Singh Aulakh said out of these 15 Aam Aadmi Clinics, the audit report of two was complete and discrepancies in OPD data had been found. “We will be issuing a show-cause notice to the Aam Aadmi Clinic at Star City Tibba Road and Bhagwan Nagar soon. We have sought a reply from officials concerned. In case they are unable to give a satisfactory reply, then services of medical officers can be terminated,” he said.

Doctors are given emoluments as per the patient count. The empanelled doctors are paid according to the OPD entries. There need to be 50 minimum entries. It had come to the fore that some doctors were drawing emoluments more than

Rs 1.5 lakh per month. In June last year, the then Civil Surgeon Dr Hitinder Kaur had also ordered prescription and medical audit of the Aam Aadmi Clinics twice a month after doubts were raised regarding the high number of OPD entries in a day.

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