CHENNAI: The sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday conducted raids at government and children hospitals across Tamil Nadu following complaints of rampant bribery from patients.
DVAC sources said the raids, which began in the morning, were on in more than 20 hospitals, during which unaccounted cash were seized from hospital staff and other departments, including labour wards.
In Chennai city, all the major government hospitals, including the General Hospital, Royapettah Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, the Stanley Medical College and Hospital, the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children and the Egmore Children's Hospital, came under the DVAC scanner.
The raids were being conducted based on specific information that the staffs in the hospitals, particularly the lower level Group D employees, were demanding money from the attendants, who accompany the patients in the labour wards to provide details about the time of birth of new born babies and their gender.
The raids followed searches in the Kancheepuram government hospital, during which unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 45,000 excess cash were seized from the staffs.
There were also allegations against the hospital staff that they demand money for 'every service', be it taking X-rays or to release bodies from the mortuaries, though the treatment and services were completely free in government hospitals.