Gujarat Medical Council suspends 2 doctors over Angioplasty deaths case

Ahmedabad: Taking strict action against a bariatric surgeon and another doctor, who were allegedly involved in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) angioplasty scam at Khyati Multispecialty Hospital, the Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) has suspended their medical registrations for three years. 

Among these two doctors, Dr. Sanjay Patoliya, a bariatric surgeon, is one of the Directors of Khyati Hospital, and the other- Dr. Shailesh Anand, is a State Government official overseeing the implementation PM-JAY scheme, TOI has reported. As per the Daily, their suspensions are related to the deaths of two PM-JAY beneficiaries who died after undergoing angioplasty procedures at Khyati Hospital.

Meanwhile, the state medical council has informed that the action has been taken after a request was made by the Additional Director of Medical Services, Gandhinagar on November 14 seeking action against the medical practitioners named in this connection.

Also Read: PMJAY Angioplasty Deaths Case: Khyati Hospital Chairman arrested

After studying the documents, the GMC Committee decided to suspend the registration of Dr. Patoliya for MBBS and MS (surgery) for three years. In the case of Dr. Anand, GMC suspended his MBBS and DCM registrations for three years through another order, the Times of India has reported.

Commenting on the matter, a senior medical official associated with multiple medical organisations in the city told TOI, "The step is to ensure that it works as a deterrent for others and also sets an example for swift action against those who are found involved in activities not in accordance with the code of conduct of the council and behaviour expected from medical experts. Several facets of the case are already being probed, and all the accused in the case are behind bars."

The official further added, "We also wish to request the practitioners to ensure that the trust the patients put in the system be honoured."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that last year in November, two patients, who attended a free medical camp organized by Khyati Hospital under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) passed away due to postoperative complications following Angioplasty procedures.

This incident caused widespread outrage as an angioplasty was performed at the hospital on 19 patients and two of them died while 5 others were kept on ventilation. These 19 people were brought to Khyati Hospital by ambulance for treatment after they attended the free health checkup camp in Borisna village of Kadi taluka on November 10. Around 80 to 90 people were examined at the camp.

Following this, three FIRs were filed, two at the behest of the kin of the deceased and one by a doctor from the Government-appointed panel. During the investigations, it was revealed that the hospital performed unnecessary angioplasty procedure on several PMJAY cardholders just to siphon off government money. The inquiry committee constituted by the State government in their preliminary probe found that the deceased did not require the heart procedure.

According to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, as many as 112 deaths have occurred in the past three years, either during or after treatment under government healthcare schemes. The revelation came during investigations days after the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested Dr Sanjay Patolia, a bariatric surgeon and one of the directors of city-based Khyati Multispeciality Hospital. Between September 2021 and October 2024, nearly 8,500 patients received treatment or underwent different surgeries at the private hospital.

Earlier, medical council had suspended the Cardiologist from Khyati Hospital, who was previously arrested for performing unnecessary angioplasty procedures on two PMJAY beneficiaries.

Also Read: Gujarat Medical Council suspends Cardiologist Arrested for Performing Unnecessary Angioplasties