Kolkata, Nov 3 West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee on Tuesday said he has prepared a report on alleged large-scale financial irregularities in the state’s Swasthya Sathi health insurance scheme and would submit it to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, seeking an investigation by an independent agency.
Alleging widespread malpractice in the scheme, Mukherjee said bills had been raised repeatedly in the names of deceased beneficiaries, with insurance companies clearing such claims despite the deaths having been recorded.
“There are cases where a patient was admitted to a hospital under the Swasthya Sathi scheme and died during treatment, but bills were raised again in the name of the same person two to three years later. Even the insurance companies cleared such claims. We have come across fake beneficiaries and fraudulent bills, and the situation has become a matter of serious concern,” he said.
The minister said his report covered alleged financial irregularities over the past 10 years and pointed to the possible involvement of several stakeholders, including insurance companies, health department officials, hospital authorities, doctors and beneficiaries.
“From third-party insurance companies to officials at different levels of our department, hospitals, beneficiaries and doctors, several people could be involved. In some cases, even family members of beneficiaries may have a role. There is also a possibility that officials within the department could be involved,” Mukherjee said.
He said he would place the findings before the chief minister and seek his government’s assistance in handing over the investigation into the alleged financial irregularities to an independent investigating agency.
“If the chief minister extends his support, we are considering handing over the investigation into the financial irregularities in the Swasthya Sathi scheme over the past 10 years to an investigating agency,” he said.
Mukherjee also expressed concern that the alleged irregularities might have involved officials within the health department, and said a probe by an outside agency would help establish the extent of the alleged malpractice.
Asked about complaints against Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the minister said he was not authorised to take action against the senior bureaucrat, who reports to the chief secretary.
“If anyone has a complaint against the health secretary, they should bring it to the notice of the chief minister or the chief secretary. The chief secretary is his superior authority, and I cannot take up complaints against him or initiate action in the matter. It falls outside my administrative jurisdiction,” he said.
Earlier, sources in the state Health Department had reportedly indicated that around 30 lakh suspected fake Swasthya Sathi cards had been identified and alleged financial irregularities could exceed Rs 30,000 crore.
(PTI News)
