A new ‘scam’ mounted trouble for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is already under scrutiny by probe agencies, further complicating matters for Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s convenor.
The Mohalla clinics, the AAP’s premier healthcare initiative in Delhi, have come under the centre’s radar and are currently under fire for hundreds of “fake” lab tests performed at the neighbourhood clinics set up to offer free primary healthcare to Delhi residents.
This comes just days after it was revealed that Delhi’s state-run hospitals were receiving substandard medicines. On the other hand, the Enforcement Directorate served Kejriwal with its third summons in connection with the excise policy scam, which he decided to skip.
Let’s have a look at the allegations that have been levelled at the Mohalla clinics so far.
Fake lab tests
Since January 1, 2023, the Mohalla Clinics in the city have offered poor patients free access to 450 different types of medical testing. To carry them out, two private businesses were hired.
On Thursday, L-G VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the matter after several discrepancies were found in the data of the patients who underwent the lab tests.
The Mohalla clinics, central to the AAP’s welfare model, allegedly ordered and ran lakhs of “fake” pathology and radiology tests on non-existent patients, sources have claimed.
Only the digit “0” being entered in the section meant for mobile numbers in 11,657 cases; the space left blank in 8,251 cases; mobile numbers of 3,092 patients entered as 9999999999; 400 mobile numbers beginning with 1,2,3,4 or 5; and the same number being used more than 15 times in around a thousand cases. These are some of the methods allegedly employed at seven mohalla clinics in Delhi to get lakhs of tests conducted on dummy patients, payments for which were made to private diagnostic firms, as per an inquiry by the Vigilance department, Indian Express reported.
“Data clearly revealed that fake lab tests were carried out at these mohalla clinics that need to be further inquired,” an official from the L-G’s office said.
According to the enquiry report, as many as 20,000 tests were recommended by the outsourced labs either on blank mobile numbers or on “0” digit. The L-G’s office claimed the scam runs into hundreds of crores, PTI reported.
Also Read: Trouble mounts for AAP as Delhi L-G recommends CBI probe into ‘fake’ lab tests by Mohalla clinics
Missing doctors, false attendance
In September 2023, it was first noticed that some doctors and staff of seven Mohalla clinics in Southwest, Shahdara and Northeast districts were fraudulently marking their attendance through pre-recorded videos.
These clinics are in Jaffar Kalan, Ujwa, Shikarpur, Gopal Nagar, Dhansa, Jagjeet Nagar and Bihari Colony. 26 staffers were later de-empanelled and a complaint was registered against them for allegedly trying to manipulate the attendance system.
It was found that some doctors would come to the clinics very late and still mark full attendance, while others would bunk the whole day.
In a press conference in September last year, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj announced the de-empanelment of 26 staffers, including seven doctors, posted at Mohalla clinics.
Sub-standard medicines at govt hospitals
On Friday (January 5), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the probe into the matter of ‘sub-standard’ medicines at Mohalla clinics to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In December last year, Delhi L-G, VK Saxena, recommended a CBI probe into the alleged procurement and delivery of “sub-standard” drugs to Delhi government hospitals and mohalla clinics. These purportedly inferior medications were obtained through the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), a division of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government’s health department, and subsequently distributed to various medical facilities throughout the national capital.
Also Read: Centre orders CBI probe into ‘sub-standard’ medicines at Delhi’s Mohalla clinics
Following numerous complaints by patients and their families, samples were collected from three major hospitals – IHBAS, Lok Nayak, and Deen Dayal Upadhyay. It was discovered that some of the medications in question were critically essential antibiotics and steroids used for treating lung and urinary tract infections, inflammation, and swelling, as well as anti-anxiety, anti-epilepsy, and anti-hypertension drugs.
In his directive to the Chief Secretary, VK Saxena pertinently noted that these drugs, procured using substantial budgetary funds, pose a significant danger to public health and safety. He further highlighted that companies, suppliers, and drug controllers from other states could also be implicated in the distribution of these substandard medications.
The CBI probe in the substandard medicines, may come as further trouble for the Delhi Government as the situation entails the involvement of multiple parties from different states, including CPA-DHS, GNCTD, suppliers, manufacturers, and state agencies.
The Drug Controller within the Delhi Health Department initiated the investigation upon receiving complaints of inferior quality medications being supplied in government hospitals. Samples were analysed in both government-approved and private laboratories, revealing that over 10 per cent of the tested samples were substandard. According to the Vigilance Department, of the 86 samples sent, 8 failed the quality control tests, although some results are still pending. The failed drugs, which included Amlodipine, Levetiracetam, and Cephalexin, were determined to be below the necessary quality threshold.
The Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) concluded that due to the high failure rate, it was essential to expand the scope of testing and cease distribution of these drugs immediately.
Also Read: AAP nominates DCW chief Swati Maliwal for Rajya Sabha
AAP’s reaction on CBI probe
Saurabh Bharadwaj has alleged that the BJP-led central government is trying to save the health secretary of the national capital.
“I was the one who ordered an audit of medicines after I was appointed as Health Minister. We welcome (the) CBI inquiry, but (the) Centre is trying to save (the) health secretary. Earlier also, I had asked LG to remove Health Secretary Deepak Kumar,” said Bhardwaj.
(With inputs from agencies)