ED conducts searches at NRI and Akkineni hospitals
VIJAYAWADA: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted surprise searches at Akkineni Women’s Hospital in Vijayawada and NRI General Hospital in Mangalagiri, following allegations of illegal transactions during the Covid pandemic. Allegations of diverting hospital and medical college funds to its directors, favouring them undue advantages, are also being probed.
Based on specific information that the management of NRI Hospital had committed financial irregularities,
including collecting excess fees for management quota medical seats and diverting the funds to various persons, the ED sleuths reportedly registered a case and served notices to the management ten days ago.
They also sought information pertaining to the charges. As many as five teams of ED, along with Central forces, arrived at the two hospitals and took control. They seized the mobile phones of the management and imposed strict restrictions on the premises of both hospitals.
The searches lasted for over eight hours from 11 am to 9 pm. Officials reportedly seized incriminating documents and hard disks from the two hospitals. The teams are also conducting raids on the residences of the current and former directors of NRI Hospital.
According to sources, it has been alleged that the directors and staff of NRI Hospital diverted a huge amount of money collected from Covid patients by issuing fake and manual receipts for the sum received. In most cases, the money collected was not mentioned in the hospital records and is suspected to have been
diverted.
‘NRI Hosp did not record data of 1K Covid patients’
During the searches on Friday, ED officials reportedly found that the NRI Hospital management has not recorded details of more than 1,000 patients who were treated for Covid-19 at the hospital during the years 2020 and 2021. “The amount collected from the patients was not accounted for,” sources explained.
It was alleged that NRI Hospital allotted Rs 43 crore for the construction of a new medical block in Chinakakani village and the entire amount was already paid to Hyderabad-based builders.
“Works for the new building have not begun, but the hospital management has transferred Rs 43 crore to the builder. After a case was registered based on a complaint from the office, Mangalagiri police found that the amount was divided and diverted to the accounts of the directors of NRI Hospital. The Central Agency is collecting details from local police pertaining to the case,” sources added.
Further, there were allegations that the previous and present directors of NRI Hospital indulged in huge financial irregularities in the purchase of medical equipment and fees collected from medical students.
“Officials are verifying all the records from 2016 to ascertain the irregularities,” sources said.
Rs 43 cr paid for new building
It was alleged that NRI Hospital allotted Rs 43 cr for the construction of a new block in Chinakakani village and paid the sum before work began.