Woman doctor suspended for allegedly cheating patient's kin of Rs 22 lakh, now absconding
Vijayawada: A woman doctor attached to the Government General Hospital (GGH) in the city has been suspended by the hospital authorities for allegedly taking Rs 22 lakh from the kin of a patient on the pretext of providing medication for black fungal infection.
As per a recent media report in The New Indian Express, the doctor has been identified as a contractual medical practitioner of the hospital who is presently absconding.
The alleged fraud came to light with the hospital authorities initiated a probe after the family members of a patient from Kadapa approached GGH authorities with their complaint on Wednesday.
As per GGH Superintendent Dr Jagan Mohan the patient, a sexagenaria was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of black fungus in May and the doctor was supervising her treatment. He added that the doctor introduced herself as a major consultant in the hospital to the patient's kin. The son of the patient, who lives in the US was convinced by the doctor that she would arrange Amphotericin B needed for treating black fungus, reports The New Indian Express .
"She also agreed to ensure quality treatment to his mother if Rs 22 lakh was deposited in the bank account given by her through online transaction," he explained.
The family claimed that in order to ensure the wellbeing of his mother, the son deposited the money in the bank account number allegedly provided by the doctor. However, he did not have any idea that the treatment for black fungus in the GGH is free and paid the amount even before confirming the facts, reports the daily.
When he realized that he had been duped by the doctor, he narrated the whole incident before the GGH authorities and lodged a complaint of fraud against the doctor.
"We were totally unaware of it until the patient's family members brought the matter to our notice. The money transaction was entirely between the doctor and the patient's son," the GGH Superintendent stated.
GGH Superintendent further stated that they had informed the Director of Medical Education about the incident. According to GGH sources, the accused doctor had appointed a nurse to take care of the patient when she could not attend the patient herself.
Authorities will conduct a thorough internal probe to find out if any other staff had any involvement in the entire fraud. Though internal inquiry is still undergoing and the doctor has been suspended, the family members of the patient have not lodged any complaint with the police yet. Meanwhile, the doctor is absconding.
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