Cash for admission: Fraudster collects Rs 1L from COVID-19 patient for admission to NIMS
Even as COVID-affected persons and their families are running from pillar to post for beds, medicines, and oxygen, a person charged a family Rs. 1 lakh to get a patient admitted at NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 30 May 2021 6:40 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Even as COVID-affected persons and their families are running from pillar to post for beds, medicines, and oxygen, a person charged a family Rs. 1 lakh to get a patient admitted at NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad.
The family, who later realized that they were cheated, approached the hospital superintendent who lodged a complaint with the Punjagutta police. A case of criminal breach of trust and cheating has been registered against the person identified as Prashanth. Inquiries revealed that Prashanth is not an employee of the hospital but has good contacts with the hospital staff.
In the complaint lodged late on Friday, Dr. N. Satyanarayana, the medical superintendent of NIMS, said that on 18 May Krishna Reddy had lodged a written complaint stating that he had brought his mother Sugunamma, a COVID-19 patient, to NIMS Hospital for treatment. At the hospital, he met Prashanth who said he could get his mother admitted and treated. Since his mother's condition was critical, Mr. Reddy believed the man and paid Rs. 1 lakh through Google Pay and got his mother admitted.
Subsequently, Prashanth demanded Rs. 1 lakh more to continue the treatment and further informed him that treatment with oxygen facility would cost Rs. 3- 4 lakhs and with ventilator facility Rs. 7 lakhs. This made Mr. Reddy suspicious and when he checked the admission register, he found that only Rs. 1,000 had been paid and no other receipts were available in the case sheet.
Based on Mr. Reddy's complaint, the hospital superintendent ordered an internal departmental inquiry. It found that Dr. N. Lakshmi Bhaskar, the deputy medical superintendent, had called the resident medical officer, Dr. Mahender, and instructed him to admit Sugunamma. Accordingly, she was admitted.
Further inquiries revealed that Prashanth is not an employee of the hospital and neither is he connected to the administration of Nizam's Institute. He is suspected to have good contacts with some of the hospital employees and is cheating gullible patients and their relatives by collecting huge amounts in the name of providing admission and treatment.
Further, the hospital management clarified that the entire admission and treatment process is governed by strict rules and regulations. Because of the actions of some greedy persons, middlemen like Prashanth are spoiling the image of the institute in the eyes of common people, which is a very serious concern, they said. They asked the police to investigate the matter and take stringent action against Prashanth and others who have cheated patients.
