ED's massive crackdown on Ayushman Bharat scheme fraud; Congress MLA, Himachal CM Sukhu's close aide raided

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a search operation at 19 locations in states such as Punjab and Himachal in connection with suspected fraud by hospitals in the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The search is being carried out in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu. 

The ED said that its action was based on a case registered by Himachal's State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, which named Una's Banke Bihari Hospital and others for generating fake AB-PMJAY ID cards. The central agency said that its probe revealed that apart from Bankey Bihari Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Balaji Hospital, Sood Nursing Home, and Sri Harihar Hospital availed illegal benefits of the AB-PMJAY scheme.

Congress MLA RS Bali and Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's close aide Rajesh Sharma's Shree Balaji Hospital are also under scanner. 

During the investigation, as many as 373 fake Ayushman cards were identified wherein claims of about Rs 40,68,150 were made for reimbursement from the government in the name of treatments given to the Ayushman card beneficiaries, the ED said in a statement. 

"List of such fake beneficiaries included the names of Rajnish Kumar (ABPMJAY Card No. PPKZU26H7) and Pooja Dhiman (ABPMJAY Card No. PICHWGI08) who, on verification, even denied possession or any information of any such PMJAY Card," the agency said. "Further, they never underwent any such treatment in any of these hospitals." 

Apart from this, hospitals have made claims for treatments/surgery/admission which were actually never given or done to the patient. Raksha Devi (having PMJAY ID- PLOE81RR2Q) was denied admission to the hospital, however, the hospital "dishonestly and illegally" blocked the package of Raksha Devi, the agency said. 

The ED's investigation also revealed that these hospitals were de-empanelled from the Ayushman Bharat scheme for illegal practices and non-compliance with procedures. "8937 Ayushman Bharat golden cards have so far been scrapped in HP for alleged violation of the AB-PMJAY scheme. As per investigation conducted so far, the case involves PoC of about Rs 25 crore."

RS Bali, Congress MLA from Nagrota, is the chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and the vice-chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board. Fortis Hospital, Kangra is a unit of his company, Himachal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. This hospital was also de-empanelled along with other hospitals, the agency said. 

Rajesh Sharma, Shree Balaji Hospital, is a close associate of the CM Sukhu. Sharma was contesting a recently conducted bye-election from Dehra but later sacrificed his candidature in favour of the chief minister's wife Kamlesh Thakur. "His hospital has also been found involved," the central agency said.