Ahmedabad hospital scam: Gujarat Medical Council suspends licenses of two doctors
Ahmedabad, Feb 19 (IANS) Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) has taken strict action against two doctors involved in the Khyati Hospital scam in Ahmedabad and suspended their medical licenses for a period of three years. The decision was taken during the General Body meeting of the Gujarat Medical Council.
Sources said that the GMC meeting concluded with the decision to suspend the medical licenses of Dr. Sanjay Muljibhai Patoliya (M.B.B.S., M.S. Surgery) and Dr. Shaileshkumar Amrutlal Anand (M.B.B.S., D.C.M.). The suspension was imposed under Section 22(1)(b)(i) of the Gujarat Medical Council Act, 1967, considering the seriousness of the case from a public health perspective. Both doctors have been ordered to surrender their licenses to the GMC immediately.
The Khyati Multispeciality Hospital had organised a medical camp in Kadi under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in which angiographies were performed on 19 persons who did not require the procedure and stents were implanted in their hearts during the medical camp.
The malpractice came to light following the deaths of two patients, Nagarbhai Senma (59) and Mahesh Barot (45), after unnecessary angioplasty procedures in November 2024.
Subsequent investigations uncovered additional deaths linked to the hospital’s fraudulent activities, raising the death toll to nine.
Authorities have arrested several individuals, including the hospital’s CEO, Chirag Rajput, and medical director, Dr. Sanjay Patoliya. The prime accused, hospital director Kartik Patel, was apprehended at Ahmedabad airport after a period of absconding.
Authorities have warned that further legal actions may follow as the investigation into the scam continues.
Khyati Multispeciality Hospital organised medical camps in rural areas, such as Borisana village in Mehsana district, under the guise of providing free health check-ups.
During these camps, hospital staff misdiagnosed healthy individuals with severe cardiac conditions, convincing them to undergo unnecessary procedures like angioplasty. Investigations revealed that even young and asymptomatic patients, including an 18-year-old, were subjected to these invasive treatments.
The hospital exploited the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a government scheme offering health insurance coverage up to Rs 5 lakh. By performing unwarranted procedures, Khyati Hospital fraudulently claimed substantial amounts from the scheme.
Over 18 months, the hospital amassed approximately Rs 11 crore, with 70 per cent of this revenue derived from PM-JAY beneficiaries.
–IANS
janvi/dan
