Adesh institute delisted for charging money from insured patients

Hospital was served a show-cause notice but it continued to indulge in misconduct

BATHINDA:THE Adesh Institute of Medical Science and Research (AIMSR), a private university based in Bathinda, has been de-empanelled from the Ayushman Bharat-sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-SSBY) for repeated allegations of malpractices in the welfare scheme.

State Health Agency (SHC), a wing of the department of health and family welfare, passed an order in this regard on Saturday.

Health secretary Kumar Rahul, who also heads the state anti-fraud unit, said the decision to de-list the institute was taken after a detailed investigation that held it guilty of making money unauthorisedly from the public health insurance programme. The institute was found charging fee from the patients who had duly generated cards under the AB-SSBY, a flagship health insurance scheme, the probe revealed.

In a case, two treatment files of the patient were made. In one file, the patient was shown availing the insurance while the other was used to charge cash for the same treatment. DR MANINDER SINGH, inquiry officer

The institute was warned, served a show-cause notice and it was also put on watch but it continued to indulge in misconduct, the order reads.

The institute was put on watch since June after Dr Vitull K Gupta, a local public health activist, wrote to the National Health Authority about the alleged irregularities at the institute.

AIMSR medical superintendent Gurpreet Singh Gill said he is unaware of the de- empanelling move.

Bathinda deputy medical commissioner Dr Maninder Singh, the inquiry officer, said charges against the institute were found true.

“There was a case where an eligible insurance beneficiary had to pay money to the hospital despite having a duly generated card. Two different treatment files of the patient were made. In one file the patient was shown availing the health insurance while the other document was used to charge cash for the same treatment,” said Dr Singh.

He pointed out that in another case cash was returned to the patient after an inquiry date was fixed in the complaint. The state empanelment committee took strong objections over the malpractice by the institute.

The order, however, will have no bearing on the beneficiary patients already under treatment at AIMSR, it is learnt.