Probe reveals doctors bypassed ethics committee, diverted trial income
Ahmedabad – The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has suspended nine doctors, including an associate professor at the civic-run medical college, over allegations of financial irregularities in income generated from clinical trials at V S Hospital.
Doctors Conducted Trials Without Mandated Ethics Panel
Hospital officials revealed that the doctors had bypassed legal procedures by not forming an officially mandated Ethics Committee and instead set up their own panel to conduct nearly 50 types of trials. These began in 2021 and were carried out on around 500 patients in collaboration with four pharmaceutical companies.
Funds Siphoned, Hospital Denied Share of Income
As per protocol, income from clinical trials should be split between the doctors and the hospital. However, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel stated that in this case, the doctors allegedly kept the entire sum. “Dr Devang Rana, the head of the clinical trial unit, and eight other doctors have been suspended following a preliminary probe,” he said.
Dr Rana, a permanent employee and associate professor of pharmacology at NHL Municipal Medical College, was appointed head of the clinical trials unit in 2021. The other eight were AMC-appointed contract doctors.
Congress Corporator Raises Alarm, Alleges Patient Deaths
The controversy surfaced after Congress corporator Rajshree Kesari alleged that at least three patients died due to illegal trials. “I have documentary proof that four pharma companies signed MoUs with V S Hospital, yet no money was deposited into the hospital’s account,” she said.
She accused Dr Rana and his team of siphoning off entry fees and claimed that the unethical trials were directly responsible for multiple patient deaths.
Current Hospital Superintendent Distances from Past Actions
Dr Parul Shah, the current superintendent of V S Hospital, stated that she took over just six months ago and was not involved in the clinical trial process. She claimed the trials were started under the previous superintendent, Dr Manish Patel, and were stopped in December 2024 after internal scrutiny exposed irregularities.
“No complaints of death due to trials have reached me yet. However, financial misappropriation by the former clinical trial team appears likely,” Dr Shah said.
Probe Ongoing, More Action Likely
Minister Patel assured that further action would be taken based on the final findings of the inquiry. Meanwhile, the clinical trials at V S Hospital remain permanently halted.
