-SATISH HANDA

At the time when large number of patients suffering from COVID-19 and struggling for life on hospital beds there are several social welfare organizations are busy in supplying food to patients suffering from disease and even providing them financial as well as medical help at the cost of their own life, whereas on the other hand there are people as well as private hospitals involved in supplying fake medicines and cheating patients to extract money charging higher treatment rates than prescribed by the government.

Haryana police recently exposed a pharmaceuticals factory involved in manufacturing fake ‘Remdesivir’ injections required for the treatment of Corona patients being sold in black market at drastically higher rates at the industrial town Baddi in Solan district near Pinjore on the statement of Satyanain resident of Rewari in Haryana state arrested by the police while supplying injections during police remand. Police on a clue arrested had three youths while supplying fake injections to Inderjit of a medical store outside a private hospital on May 7, 2021 at the price of Rs 35000 each injection whereas MRP of the same was around Rs 5000 each..

However, the prime accuse Satyanain absconding so far was arrested by CIA staff of Rewari police on May 15, 2021 and disclosed the identity of Baddi factory manufacturing fake injections and during preliminary investigation told that he had collected fake injections of value worth over Rs 2.5 lakh from this factory and sold to different customers in Haryana state  with the help of his two companions Rinku resident of Rewari and Ram Kishen resident of Bhiwani both arrested from whom police also recovered Rs 1,40,000 cash. Police investigation in the case also revealed that on the information of arrested accused police also arrested a doctor and a employee of a private hospital purchasing fake injections.

Addressing a press conference at Chandigarh, Gian Chand Gupta Haryana Vidhan Sabha Spaeker disclosed that Haryana state government receiving large number of complaints that private hospitals in the state are charging two to three times higher amount towards treatment from Corona patients admitted in their hospital as  compared to the rates prescribed by the government as such a committee has been constituted to investigate and take action against such hospitals and if required their licenses will be cancelled by the government. Investigation revealed that in some cases these private hospitals were found charging two to three times higher rates of medicines as compared to the prices available in medical stores of same salt from government employees getting reimbursement towards treatment expenses from the government incurring heavy loss. Gupta told that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatter as well as State Health Minister Anil Vij has been requested to take stern action against these private hospitals cheating patients.

Gupta said, in view of large number of complaints committee constituted by the government comprising of  CMO and SMO Civil hospital Panchkula and a member of Pharmacy Council have been asked to investigate the matter and audit the bills and prices of medicines charged by private hospitals and licenses of those hospitals found involved in embezzlements will be cancelled. Information reveals that bill raised for amount worth Rs 7.69 lakh by a private hospital when audited by the committee should have been for the amount worth Rs 2.69 lakh and similar cases of embezzlements have been reported in few other cases. According to B.B. Singhal Member Haryana Pharmacy Council, most of the private hospitals prescribe costly medicines only available in their hospitals which were found much higher in prices as compared to standard medicines of similar salt.

Meanwhile, HPCC president Shelja a former Union Minister strongly condemned private hospitals extracting money from patients suffering from Corona . While addressing media persons Shelja said, only warning will not be sufficient, there should be strict action by the ruling government against such hospitals for robbing suffering patients. Shelja also raised question over slow vaccination in the state.