`100cr duping claim against top doc

Dr Purshotam Lal, chairman of the Metro Group of hospitals, has ‘duped’ various government departments by using forged documents, alleged MHI MD Dr Shyam Sunder Bansal

Dr Shyam Sunder Bansal, the managing director of Metro Heart Institute in Faridabad, has alleged that Padma Vibhushan Dr Purshotam Lal, who is the chairman of the Metro Group of hospitals, has used “fraudulent” means and “duped” various government departments to the tune of more than `100 crore by using forged documents.

In this regard, an FIR was lodged by Dr Bansal against Dr Lal on July 30, 2018, under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120B of the IPC at the Central Faridabad police station.

Dr Bansal alleged that this FIR was shifted to the state crime branch with the intention of dumping it on the request of accused Dr Lal on December 31, 2018, after two arrests were made by the Faridabad police and anticipatory bail was not granted to any of the other five co-accused. Dr Bansal approached the Haryana police DG against transfer of this FIR, when the investigation in Faridabad on this FIR was near completion and a challan was to be filed. He claimed the DG assured him that the state crime branch would do a fair investigation and though there would be some delay, truth will prevail.

Dr Bansal alleged that more than six months have passed since the DG’s assurance to look into this matter. However, no further investigation was conducted by the state crime branch despite the fact that Dr Bansal had provided them with 53 additional forged papers.

These documents were made on the instructions of Dr Lal for wrongful gains from government departments and were received through RTI, alleged Dr Bansal. On the basis of these forged papers, Dr Lal has allegedly taken government money in a fraudulent way.

Dr Bansal said that people like Dr Lal can take Padma Vibhushan on the basis of fake claims of their achievements through false citation submitted to the home ministry and get away easily with forgery and cheating to the tune of more than `100 crore with various government departments.

Dr Lal allegedly used unapproved Chinese stents, called Excel, and priced them as the most expensive American stent, Xience, in thousands of patients— before stent price capping by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) — taking advantage of the fact that brand name cannot be identified after implantation.

Another way he cheated was by charging `50,000 for intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) — an artificial support to the heart — without using them in thousands of patients.