Reports of unnecessary removal of gall bladders, uteruses send shock waves
AZHAR HUSSAIN
SRINAGAR, Feb 21: The suspension of empanelment of thirteen private hospitals in Kashmir besides imposition of a penalty of ₹1.77 crore on seventeen hospitals for fraudulent claims under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme is a stark reminder of the dire state of healthcare in Jammu and Kashmir where patients are being treated as mere laboratory rats.
The AB-PMJAY scheme was launched by the government to provide much-needed health coverage to all domiciles of J&K, up to ₹5 lakh per family. However, it is clear that the scheme is being abused by these private hospitals for their ulterior motive and the actually beneficiaries remain excluded from its benefits.
The lack of adequate resources to process and verify claims under the AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme is causing significant delays in providing necessary treatment to patients. This also provides a window of opportunity for these commercially driven hospitals to mint money over the helplessness of the patients who entrust their lives to such institutions.
Moreover, this is a major problem for patients who are already in need of critical care. With the exposure of fraudulent claims by several hospitals, it is likely that poorer patients will continue to suffer while wealthy hospitals continue to profit from the schemes that were meant to benefit the deserving patients who mostly belonged to the downtrodden sections of the society.
The official sources, as per details available with Kashmir Despatch, have revealed that several hospitals have faced penalties and suspensions for their actions. These hospitals include Ibn Sina Hospital, which has been imposed a penalty of Rs 24 lakh and its empanelment has been suspended. Quality Care Hospital has been fined Rs 6.64 lakh, Narayana Hospital has been fined Rs 54.62 lakh, and Ess Bee Hospital and Waseem Memorial Hospital have had their empanelment suspended.
KD Eye Clinic Hospital has been fined Rs 1 lakh and had its empanelment suspended, ASCOMS in Jammu has been fined Rs 2.66 lakh, and Al-Noor Hospital, Midcity Hospital, and South City Nursing Home have had their empanelment suspended in September of last year.
Noora Hospital in Srinagar has been fined Rs 5.54 lakh, Baba Nayak Hospital has been fined Rs 69,000, Raksha Kidney Hospital has been fined Rs 20 lakh, and National Hospital Jammu has had its empanelment suspended. Centre for Eye Care Hospital has been fined Rs 1.64 lakh and had its empanelment suspended in December of last year.
Other hospitals have also faced penalties and suspensions. Florence Hospital in Chanapora has been fined Rs 5 lakh, Shadab Hospital has been fined Rs 22 lakh, Mohammadiya Hospital has been fined Rs 6 lakh, and Kidney Hospital in Sonwar has been fined Rs 18.72 lakh and had its empanelment suspended in February of last year.
All of these medical establishments have been penalized by the SHA for their fraudulent claims in the year 2022.
There are shocking stories that many insiders have revealed where the unnecessary removals of gall bladders and uteruses have occurred in some patients.
This is deeply concerning and highlights the extent of the corruption, saddism and mismanagement that plagues the healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
The situation is dire and urgent action is needed to address the many issues facing the healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir that can be primarily achieved by increasing resources, including staffing and training and enhancing the process to verify claims more efficiently.
It is also important to ensure that measures are in place to prevent fraud and corruption where certain profit minded healthcare facilities don’t even care about the lives of people who otherwise are healthy and need no surgeries.
The government especially health department must increase the oversight and penalties for those who engage in such fraudulent activity.
The state of healthcare in Jammu and Kashmir is a significant concern that must be addressed urgently. The AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme was designed to provide healthcare coverage to those who need it the most, but it is clear that the scheme is not working as intended. Action must be taken to ensure that patients in need receive the care they require, and that corrupt practices are rooted out from the healthcare system.
