'Male Ovary Surgery In Himcare', Scam Of Rs 110 Crore In Two Hospitals; CM Said- Will Not Stop The Scheme
There was an uproar in the Himachal Assembly over the Himcare scheme. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu exposed irregularities worth ₹110 crore such as men's ovary operations and expired lenses. He assured not to stop the scheme, but to make it transparent and take action against the corrupt. Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur objected to the CM's figures and demanded an investigation by a High Court judge.
The matter has heated up after allegations of irregularities in the Himcare scheme. symbolic photo
State Bureau, Shimla. There was an uproar in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly regarding the Himcare scheme of the Health Department. On the scheme started during the BJP government, the opposition accused Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu of misleading the House by presenting false figures. Immediately after the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur raised the issue of Himcare. Responding to the allegations of the opposition, the Chief Minister gave shocking examples and said that such cases have also come to light in the investigation, where bills were raised for the operation of uterus and ovaries of male patients. Cases of putting expired lenses in eyes were also reported. It is noteworthy that ovaries are found only in women.
A mess of Rs 110 crore in IGMC and Tanda alone
He said that all these signs point towards irregularities and corruption in the scheme. The government has conducted internal audit of the scheme in Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Hospital, Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital, Tanda, which has indicated possible scam of up to Rs 110 crore.
He clarified that wherever doubt arises in any scheme, the government will not shy away from investigation. Announced that the corrupt would be sent to jail. He said that the internal audit of Himcare scheme has indicated irregularities of about Rs 110 crore, not Rs 1100 crore.
Himcare scheme will not be closed, will be made better and transparent
The Chief Minister bluntly said that the government will not stop the Himcare scheme, but it will be made better and transparent. The Chief Minister admitted that the scheme was not operated the way it should have earlier.
Jairam challenged, government should get investigation done by High Court judge
Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur, immediately after the Question Hour, objected to the Chief Minister's statement that the Himcare scheme was a scam of Rs 1100 crore. Said that the Chief Minister presents false figures. Challenged that the government should get the scheme investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court. The audit should be of the time of the BJP government as well as the time of the present government. Citing figures, he said that around Rs 972 crore was spent on the scheme, while its estimated annual expenditure was around Rs 200 crore. Around Rs 600 crore should have been spent in three years. He raised the question that the expenditure has increased due to purchase of medicines at high prices and the entire matter should be investigated.
What is Himcare Scheme?
The former BJP government had launched the Himcare scheme on January 1, 2019, in which people of the state were given the facility to get annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh in empaneled hospitals. The scheme was started to provide health security to those families who were not covered under the Ayushman scheme of the central government. Treatment facilities were available in more than 200 government and private hospitals of the state as well as PGI Chandigarh and some hospitals of Punjab.
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