Rs 40 crore scam: Diagnostics firm accused, probe ordered
KAKINADA: The Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr. DSVL Narasimham, has ordered a probe into allegations that SL Diagnostics Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based company, collected Rs 300 to 900 per CT scan film from patients across four government hospitals in Kakinada, Tirupati, Anantapur, and Visakhapatnam over the past five years. It is estimated that the amount collected illegally might exceed Rs 40 crore.
As per a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the previous TDP government, the state agreed to pay SL Diagnostics Rs 799 per scan. The company was responsible for installing CT machines and equipment, while the hospitals provided infrastructure.
Although the company adhered to the agreement for three years, sources claim that it deviated from the terms in 2020 under the management of Bonam Satish. Satish, who was appointed at Kakinada’s unit, allegedly manipulated records by billing the government Rs 2,397 for three scans instead of Rs 799 for one. This inflated the monthly bills at Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) to Rs 20-24 lakh.
No charges permitted: GGH chief
Furthermore, staff members allegedly forced patients to purchase CT films at Rs 300 each, despite the actual cost being Rs 75, and often produced multiple images to charge Rs 900 per session.
For instance, patients like Kathula Sampada Rao and Talam Gowthami’s relatives were coerced into paying Rs 300 each on August 9, 2025. Payments were reportedly made to Satish’s UPI accounts, netting Rs 30,000 daily or Rs 9 lakh monthly from Kakinada alone.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Lavanya Kumari clarified that the MoU does not permit such charges, as digital images suffice, except in rare surgical cases.
Satish claimed that oral instructions from authorities justified the fees, but an inquiry committee is set to visit Kakinada Government General Hospital to investigate the allegations. The Director of Medical Education’s investigation aims to uncover the full extent of this alleged fraud.