Odisha: 6 middlemen held for diverting patients from MKCG medical college and hospital

Bhubaneswar: Six middlemen have been arrested for diverting patients from Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College and Hospital coming for treatments and referring them to private hospitals.

The operation to nab the middlemen started based on the numerous complaints the police received. According to the police, the middlemen were diverting patients from the government hospital and referring them to private hospitals.

The middlemen were involved in every hospital department and convinced the patients to get treatment at a private hospital or charge a hefty fee. A large amount of money was also taken from the patients for the allocation of hospital beds and medical tests.

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To catch them red-handed, the police created a team of 15 policemen who dressed in civilian clothes disguised as patients and took a tour of the hospital, scouring across different departments- from OPD counters, pathology lab, radiology department to medical stores--to crack down on the middlemen.

Superintendent of Brahmapur Police Saravana M Vivek told India Today, "In the past few days, we have been receiving repeated complaints from patients coming for treatment at MKCG hospital that some middlemen were taking them to other labs, scan centres, medical stores, and even hospitals to get treatment under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. As part of this scheme, the Odisha government provides a health card to families below the poverty line (BPL) using which, they can avail free treatment up to Rs 5 lakhs."

Six middlemen were detained by the police team, pressuring hospital patients to receive care at for-profit facilities or clinics or undergo tests at unofficial facilities. The middlemen were misguiding the patients claiming that there is no proper facility at the government hospital and that if they wished to get better treatment at MKCG, they should either pay a huge sum of money or take treatment at other private hospitals. They were presented at the court on Tuesday.

As part of the crackdown on such illegal activity, a police team will be deployed at the hospital to watch the middlemen. However, the practice has been going on for years as patients who want to get an instant service without waiting in a long queue at the hospital give money to the middlemen.

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