Massive fraud under Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme; Doctor couple behind racket embezzling money from govt using fake patients

BHOPAL: A doctor couple has been arrested in Madhya Pradesh for running a racket to claim huge sums of money under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The two were arrested after nearly 70 patients covered under the Jan Arogya Yojana were found in a hotel instead of a hospital. The doctor couple has been charged with forgery and cheating.

According to the police, Dr Ashwini Pathak and Dr Duhita Pathak, who owns the Central India Kidney Hospital in Jabalpur, ran a racket to claim money under the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. The two were arrested after the health department conducted a raid at the hotel next to the hospital. During the raid, it was found that around 70 Ayushman Bharat card holders were found in Hotel Vega, while as per records they were admitted to the Central India Kidney Hospital for treatment.

Police said that the hospital was allegedly paying money to Ayushman Bharat card holders to get admitted. The health department conducted the raid after receiving a tip-off regarding this.

The hotel has been sealed on the instructions of the district administration. According to an initial report filed by the Health Department, there was no link between the diagnosis mentioned in the hospital's records and the symptoms reported by the patients.

Around 70 Ayushman Bharat scheme beneficiaries being treated not in a hospital but in a non-operational hotel without proper facilities in Jabalpur. In many rooms, two patients were being treated on one bed. The hotel cum hospital was sealed on Sunday @ndtv @ndtvindia pic.twitter.com/uvJ1pP4eQ8

— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) August 29, 2022