This development follows a recommendation by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for a CBI investigation into the matter, just a day ago.
Sources report that the Union Home Ministry has instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate allegations of corruption in the operation of numerous mohalla clinics in Delhi. This directive comes on the heels of a recommendation for a CBI probe by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena just a day ago. The inquiry by the Vigilance department revealed several irregularities, including instances where the digit “0” was entered in the mobile number section in 11,657 cases, blank spaces in 8,251 cases, mobile numbers of 3,092 patients listed as 9999999999, 400 mobile numbers starting with 1,2,3,4 or 5, and the repetition of the same number over 15 times in around a thousand cases. These tactics were allegedly employed at seven mohalla clinics in Delhi to conduct numerous tests on dummy patients, with payments made to private diagnostic firms.
“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 inquiry report, approximately 20,000 tests were prescribed by the outsourced labs, either on mobile numbers left blank or with a “0” digit. The Lieutenant Governor’s office asserts that the alleged scam involves hundreds of crores. Since January 1 of the previous year, the Delhi government has been offering 450 types of medical tests free of charge to economically disadvantaged patients at Mohalla Clinics throughout the city, with two private companies entrusted to carry out the tests.
The purported scam surfaced in September 2023 when it was discovered that some doctors and staff at seven Mohalla Clinics in Southwest, Shahdara, and Northeast districts were illicitly marking their attendance through pre-recorded videos. These clinics are situated in Jaffar Kalan, Ujwa, Shikarpur, Gopal Nagar, Dhansa, Jagjeet Nagar, and Bihari Colony. Subsequently, the doctors were de-empanelled, and a complaint was lodged against them.
Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj revealed that he had received complaints about a few doctors arriving late or leaving early in September, and he took action against them, asserting that both cases were interconnected.