AAP's Mohalla clinics accused of scamming hundreds of crores
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government's flagship Mohalla Clinics are at the centre of controversy again.
An investigation by the vigilance department over two outsourced laboratories tied up with seven Mohalla Clinics has made a shocking revelation. In the probe, it was found that the clinics ordered lakhs of fake diagnostic and pathology tests in the name of ghost patients using non-existent or false mobile numbers.
According to officials, the fraudulent practices caught in the probe are indicative of an alleged scam that may run into hundreds of crores which was allegedly done to provide monetary benefits to the private labs.
Meanwhile, Delhi L-G VK Saxena has recommended a CBI inquiry in this regard amid speculations over the same model being followed in AAP-ruled Punjab. The central agency is already investigating the role of Mohalla Clinics in the spurious drugs case.
The vigilance department's documents stated that an alarm was raised when medical in charge of seven Mohalla Clinics were found marking their attendance fraudulently through pre-recorded videos for months.
Notably, during the absence of the doctors, the clinics continued to order laboratory tests. The investigation revealed that the tests were prescribed by non-clinical staff to fake persons.
In September, action was taken against these staff and they were de-empanelled by the health department while FIRs were lodged against them.
However, the irregularity observed led the department to initiate a preliminary probe on two private laboratories—Agilus Diagnostic Lab and Metropolis Healthcare—which are tied up with the seven mohalla clinics to conduct the tests prescribed to the patients.
The probe documents revealed that entries of the mobile numbers taken for maintaining records of the patients, on whom the tests were prescribed, showed that digits starting from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 which are non-existent in India.
Besides, similar numbers were recorded for thousands of tests prescribed to different persons. In fact, 20,000 tests were ordered either on blank mobile numbers or on "0" digits, they showed.
According to officials, the irregularities unearthed in the initial probe were recorded in a mere three months (July-September) of last year based on the assessment of over 6 lakh tests done by Agilus and Metropolis.
"The outsourced labs have used only one mobile number for different patients. Prima-facie, this is a fraud as one mobile number cannot be used by about 200 patients. About 3,100 tests were recommended on one number i.e. "999999999" and it is nothing but sheer fraud and done with the purpose of generating false tests to defraud the Government. This also indicates that the software designed by the Vendor appears to be in collusion with the Department with a motive to defraud the Government," the notings by the vigilance department in the file sent to the L-G read.
"The amount of loss to the exchequer needs to be quantified, those accountable must be identified and responsibilities. needs to be fixed against each," it added.
Meanwhile, the L-G has asked the officials to release the pending payments of outsourced labs only after proper scrutiny and thorough verification/inquiry.
Probe revelations:
• 3092 tests were recommended for mobile number 9999999999 'for different patients.
• Mobile numbers '9810467129' and '9855544543' were used to register 350 patients.
• 11,657 tests were recommended for mobile numbers where the 'O' digit was entered.
• 8,199 tests were recommended for "Blank" mobile numbers.
• 42 tests were recommended for fake mobile numbers starting from digits '1', '2', '3', '4' and '5'.
• 817 mobile numbers occurred 15 or more times.