In recent years, the abuse of medical schemes has become rampant, undermining the very purpose of such programmes that aim to provide affordable and accessible healthcare.
One such case emerged in Ahmedabad, where the owners and employees of Khyati Multispeciality Hospital are allegedly accused of using the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to conduct unnecessary angioplasties, leading to the deaths of two beneficiaries.
According to media reports, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad City Police has filed a chargesheet, running into 5,670 pages, in one of the three FIRs related to the PMJAY racket.
For the unversed, the chargesheet pertains to the deaths of two PMJAY beneficiaries, Mahesh Girdhar Barot (52) and Nagar Moti Senma (75), from Borisana village of Kadi in Mehsana district, who died on November 11, 2024, after undergoing unnecessary angioplasty surgeries at Khyati Multispeciality Hospital.
The chargesheet, which includes charges against eight of the nine accused, with the most serious charge being culpable homicide not amounting to murder, was filed before the Fourth Additional Civil and Judicial First Class Magistrate in the Ahmedabad Rural Court.
The FIRs were originally filed at Vastrapur police station, where the hospital is located, but the investigation was transferred to the Crime Branch on November 18, 2024.
The investigation revealed that Mahesh Barot and Nagar Senma underwent angioplasty procedures that were deemed “completely unnecessary” by the health department’s expert committee. Hospital records for Barot and Senma indicated high levels of blockage in their arteries, but angiography results contradicted these claims, showing no blockage or much lower levels of obstruction.
The Crime Branch has questioned 105 people in the case, and seven witnesses have provided statements under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Evidence collected during the investigation includes 19 pieces of electronic evidence, 36 files, and 11 registers from the hospital. The chargesheet also details documents related to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of PMJAY, documents from Bajaj Allianz, the insurer contracted by the state government, and audit reports of the hospital. Additionally, the DCB obtained details from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) about the holding company of Khyati hospital, and it has put on record 34 bank accounts, property details, and medical records of patients who were later treated at UNMICRC.
While the chargesheet pertains to the FIR filed on behalf of the state, it also highlights fraudulent activities related to the PMJAY scheme. The state alleges that the hospital and its authorities carried out unnecessary surgeries to defraud the exchequer and make illicit financial gains through the scheme.
Of the three FIRs filed, one was filed by a member of the medical expert committee on behalf of the state, while the other two were filed based on complaints from the families of the deceased. Although the chargesheet includes fraud related to medical records, the question of whether separate chargesheets will be filed for the other two cases or if all three cases will be merged remains unanswered. The survivors of these surgeries, 17 in total, have repeatedly demanded additional FIRs based on their complaints, but the police have yet to take action.
As of January 18, 2025, Kartik Patel, Chairman of the hospital’s holding company, was the last accused to be arrested, 66 days after the cases were filed against him.
Rajshree Pradeep Kothari (detained on December 14, 2024), Dr Sanjay Mulji Patolia (arrested on December 4, 2024), Chirag Rajput (arrested on November 26, 2024), and other hospital directors were also arrested prior to Patel’s arrest. Dr Prashant Prakash Vazirani, the visiting cardiologist who conducted the procedures, was the first person arrested on November 13, 2024.
The charges against the accused include Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 336(2) (forgery), 336(3) (forgery with intent to cheat), 318 (cheating), 340(2) (knowingly using forged documents), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These charges stem from the false representation of medical conditions in patient records and the lack of informed consent for the procedures.
Also Read: The Day Nobody Saw A Crime Happen In Gulbarg Society Of Ahmedabad
