11 middlemen held for defrauding patients at Medinirai Medical College Hospital

Medininagar: Taking action against the menace of touts defrauding patients, eleven middlemen were arrested in a raid conducted by the Palamu district administration at the Medinirai Medical College Hospital (MMCH) in Medininagar, Jharkhand.

The raid was conducted on Friday night following several complaints from patients who had been cheated. The confirmation regarding this came from an official spokesperson. 

While investigating the case, the team found that few doctors from the hospital were allegedly supporting the middlemen into defrauding the patients. It became a hub for these touts to conduct their illegal business in the hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals in the Palamu district. 

Also read- Odisha: 6 Middlemen Held For Diverting Patients From MKCG Medical College And Hospital

According to the spokesperson, this action was taken under the leadership of Deputy Development Commissioner Ravi Anand and Additional Superintendent of Police Rishabh Garg. The arrested middlemen were released on Saturday on a personal bond with a warning, he said.

He said that these middlemen used to force patients to buy medicines from different companies and some doctors were also reported to be involved in this activity.

As a result, the accused middlemen would sell medicines from different companies at a high price, assuring the patients of speedy recovery and discouraging them from buying medicines from the hospital pharmacy. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported a similar incident where thirteen people had been arrested by Khandagiri police from the campus of the AIIMS-Bhubaneswar for allegedly taking money from gullible patients and their families by promising faster treatment. The touts were taking advantage of the rush at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, where people from across Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal and Jharkhand visit for treatment. 

In another case, six middlemen were arrested for diverting patients from Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College and Hospital coming for treatments and referring them to private hospitals.  

Also read- Orissa:13 Middlemen Held For Defrauding Patients At AIIMS Bhubaneswar