Background of the PGIMER Scam
Two months after a major financial scam at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh came to light, a contractual worker previously found guilty in the case has now been implicated in the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The original scam involved siphoning off Rs 1.14 crore using the names of deceased patients, fake bills, and forged medical records.
RTI Reveals Past Misconduct
An RTI response revealed that the employee, Durlabh Kumar, had earlier been found guilty of cheating patients and misusing the scheme by employing forged documents and stamps to illegally procure medicines and supplies. Despite this, no action was taken against him in 2015. He has now been booked in the Ayushman Bharat case.
Ashwani Kumar Munjal, JAC chairman and the person who filed the RTI exposing the initial scam, said:
“Had the PGI acted decisively to ‘nip the crime in the bud’ back then, current multi-crore scams would have been prevented.”
Details from the Investigation
A detailed 12-page report by Prof Arun Kumar Aggarwal exposed the following irregularities:
- Misappropriations using deceased patients’ names: Rs 27.66 lakh taken using three deceased patients; one case involved over Rs 11 lakh.
- False representation: Employees and their contacts were falsely shown as relatives to take another Rs 19 lakh.
- Missing records: Related files and software data subsequently went missing.
- Unauthorised medicine procurement: Rs 50.11 lakh paid to vendors for medicines never prescribed; Rs 6.96 lakh paid against manipulated bills.
- Double disbursement: Rs 62,328 paid twice for the same treatment.
- Lax administrative action: Several accused employees continued to work during the investigation; one officer retired without facing consequences.
Timeline and Scope
The irregularities occurred between 2017 and 2021, with five employees from PGIMER’s Private Grant Cell implicated. Despite involvement in the scam, these employees remained employed, and no senior officials were named in the report.
Current Status
The matter is currently under Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. The new revelation of Durlabh Kumar’s involvement in the Ayushman Bharat scam underscores long-standing systemic failures and raises concerns over monitoring of contractual staff handling large funds.
