7 held in TMH drug scam

As ‘patients’, they got drugs at concessional rates and sold them at much higher prices 

Officials at the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) along with the hospital’s vigilance department busted a racket for illegally procuring expensive medicines for cancer and helped police nab seven persons on Friday.

“The main accused had initially accompanied his brother, who was suffering from cancer. Subsequently his brother expired, but the accused continued to use the “bedside intent forms” of other patients at the hospital to procure medicines from the hospital,” said SH Jafri, senior manager (public relations) at the hospital.

Initial investigations by the police revealed that the accused would engage the help of his accomplices in disposing of the medicine at higher rates.

The remaining persons have been charged with assisting in the crime, officers at the Bhoiwada police station, where the case has been registered, said.  The hospital admits railway employees, offering medicine on credit basis which is later paid by the railways.

The patient who expired was also a railway employee from the North, said Jafri. “TMH receives a number of medicines at concessional rates from manufacturers. These are offered to patients at no additional cost. The accused, after his brother’s death, had continued to procure these medicines and sell them at a much higher price outside,” explained Jafri.

“The officials were shocked when they found out that the brother of a deceased patient was involved in the racket. The staff at the dispensary informed the vigilance department, who kept an eye on the suspect and caught him red-handed when he arrived to collect medicines,” said another official. 

Hospital authorities ruled out the possibility of an insider job in the racket. “All documents related to patients are kept with the superintendent after the patient’s demise. The possibility of such a racket being assisted by hospital staff is ruled out,” said Jafri.