Private hospital in Haryana alleged for admitting fake patients

A private hospital in Haryana is entangled in a controversy for alleged admission of fake patients at its premise. The reason cited for the allegation is to show increased bed strength (by the hospital) for the mandatory inspection by the Medical Council of India planned ahead. However, the institution has clearly denied the allegation.

As further reported by the PTI, a video clip is currently doing round on the internet, supposedly gone viral, which shows a person, apparently an employee of the hospital, offering money to people for posing as patients.

As reported by NDTV on the matter:

Adesh Hospital in Haryana allegedly paid villagers to pose as patients on October 3 when a team from the state health department visited the hospital for ground inspection.

"Sir, we need people from your village...tomorrow there is (an) inspection at our college. The health minister is coming. We want to take these people with us. We will admit them as patients. They just have to pose as patients. We will arrange free food and pay Rs. 200 per person," the alleged employee is heard telling JD Singh, a former village head in the clip.

"I had got phone call from their employee. He offered to give Rs. 200 to each villager who would pose as a patient before the inspection team," Mr Singh later told NDTV.

The hospital authorities have denied that the person in the audio clip is an employee. "He is not on our rolls and we definitely don't give anyone money for posing as a patient. You can see the hospital...it is running very well and we intend to reach the standards set by the MCI (Medical Council of India) by the time of the inspection in January or February next year," Dr Mandeep Singh, Principal, Adesh Hospital said.

Dr Singh has admitted to no wrong doing. He reiterated that the hospital is indeed looking at admitting 100 medical students.

"We have not made any payments to the patients," he said.

Singh also denied that they brought 'fake' patients at the time of inspection, to meet the MCI's guidelines that mandate the hospital must have 600 beds with at least 70 per cent occupancy.

The inspection is a prerequisite for recognition as a medical college.

The hospital and other related buildings for the Medical College has come up during last one year in village Mohri, situated on GT Road, 35 km from Kurukshetra towards Ambala.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kurukshetra, Surinder Nain said, a 12 member committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, G C Rajanikanthan, which inspected the hospital on October 3.

He said, a detailed report about the beds, medicines and other infrastructure available at the hospital was sent to the concerned authorities about a month back.

During the inspection no one from the village or otherwise made any complaint against the management, Nain added.