Moga epidemiologist gets termination notice over fake Covid reports

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, November 21

Acting on news report “False report scam exposed, probe on” published in The Tribune on August 20, the state government after a thorough probe today served a seven-day notice to Dr Naresh Kumar, epidemiologist, regarding termination of his services.

Dr Amarpreet Kaur Bajwa, CMO, said the mission director of the National Health Mission, Punjab, had issued the notice following an inquiry over allegations of corruption in Covid testing.

On August 20, The Tribune in its report highlighted the allegations of corruption in Covid testing in the District Hospital, Moga, with reports of many NRIs having been paid Rs 3,500 through “agents” to get negative reports.

Om Parkash, a local, in an affidavit filed before the District Magistrate, alleged that Balwinder Kaur from Hong Kong had paid Rs 2,000 to a local doctor in July to get a Covid-negative report. She again had to pay Rs 3,500 to the health authorities after she missed her flight. After the health authorities failed to give her the test report on time, she went to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot to get the test done. Subsequently, after getting Covid test report declaring her negative, she returned to Hong Kong.

In the affidavit, Om Parkash said: “I had paid Rs 1,70,000 to a local doctor to get negative reports for 48 persons, but the doctor never kept his word. Subsequently, all 48 persons got their tests done from different places.”

In an affidavit, Charanjit Singh, a resident of Dehrka in Ludhiana, said nine NRIs had paid Rs 31,500 to an agent to get the negative reports.

Acting on the news report, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu asked senior officials of the Health Department to inquire into the allegations and take action. The department’s probe found the allegations true.

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