Inflated bills: 6 doctors associated with Hedgewar hospital under Anti-Corruption Branch's radar

New Delhi: Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has sought permission to investigate the role of 10 officials, including six doctors, of Hedgewar hospital in connection with alleged passing of inflated bills of a private medicine supplier, officials said on Saturday.

The Vigilance directorate of the government has endorsed ACB’s proposal and forwarded it to the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) for necessary action, they said.

Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan is a Delhi government-run hospital located in East Delhi.

“… shows the lackadaisical attitude towards duties and responsibilities of the officers which resulted in huge loss to government exchequer as the entire chain of internal check from bottom to top relies on initial verification by the lower level staff,” the ACB said in its report.

The directorate of vigilance has now sought the recommendation of the National Capital Civil Service Authority under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to conduct investigation against the 10 officials of the hospital.

A case in the matter was registered by the local police based on a complaint of the medical superintendent of the hospital in July 2014. It was transferred to the ACB in November 2022.

The MS in his complaint cited that information was received by him from the Delhi Government Employees Health Scheme section of his hospital about “discrepancies” in the payments made to a private pharmacy for the period December 2013 and January 2014.

The ACB found that prima facie a case is made out under section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deals a public servant obtaining pecuniary advantage or valuable thing by illegal means by abusing his position, documents showed.

The medicine supplier had later given bank cheques for Rs 1.41 crore to settle the excess payment made to it of which a cheque for Rs 91 lakh was cleared but another cheque for Rs 50 lakh was dishonoured by the bank, following which the FIR was registered by the police, the officials added.