A government audit found Odisha private hospitals mishandled Covid funds. Rs 144.88 crore was paid without proper verification. Hospitals like Sum Hospital and Hi-Tech Hospital are named.

BHUBANESWAR: A recent CAG report tabled in the Odisha assembly has found irregularities in the payment of Rs 144.88 crore to private hospitals for Covid treatment between 2020 and 2022.
The report stated that the bills submitted by the eight dedicated Covid hospitals (DCHs) were not properly scrutinised by the authorised medical officer (AMO) to ensure that the claims of the DCHs for expenditure incurred towards the treatment of Covid-19 patients were in order and as per the guidelines.
The irregularities were noticed in passing the bills for payment without proper check or verification of documents, said the report of the CAG. “No reasons or justification were recorded as to how the officials processing the bills satisfied themselves of the veracity of charges claimed in the absence of the required documents. Thus, payment of Rs 144.88 crore to the DCHs without verification of basic documents or records was irregular,” read the report.
The CAG found irregularities in the bills claimed by Sum Hospital Bhubaneswar, which received Rs 78.67 crore from April 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022. This hospital submitted an abstract of the bills to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) without verification and countersignature by the authorised medical officer (AMO) and authorised person.
The BMC approved the claims for payment without verifying the actual number of patients admitted, the type of beds availed by the patients, and patient-wise claims. Payment was made to the DCH based on the abstract of the bills, said the report.
Similarly, irregularities were found in the bills of Rs 15.69 crore claimed by Hi-Tech Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Rs 7.75 crore of Blue Wheel Hospital Bhubaneswar, Rs 7.36 crore of KIIDS Bhubaneswar, Rs 4.91 crore of Sparsh Hospital, Kantabada, Bhubaneswar, Rs 29.27 crore of Aditya Ashwani Hospital Bhubaneswar, Rs 0.93 crore of Sanjeevini Hospital, Bhubaneswar, and Rs 0.3 crore of Sun Hospital Cuttack.
The health and family welfare department assured in February 2023 to take steps to inquire into the matter to establish the factuality and take appropriate action, said the CAG report.
Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL) supplied 402 ICU ventilators (cost: Rs 11.77 crore) to 13 private hospitals for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. After the Covid-19 pandemic, these ventilators were to be returned to the govt.
It was, however, noticed that these ventilators were not returned by the private hospitals. During the inspection of 10 such hospitals, these ventilators were found to be lying in the stores of these private hospitals, said the report.
OSMCL supplied 817 Multi-Para monitors (cost: Rs 10.95 crore) to 12 private hospitals, which were lying with them, revealed the report.