Delhi: Ghost patients scam unravels at Mohalla clinics

Residents of Masoodpur Village queue outside a mohalla clinic during a lockdown during the pandemic, at Vasant Kunj. File pic/Getty Images

A preliminary inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government has revealed that 65,000 ghost patients underwent pathological tests at the Mohalla clinics through private labs during 11 months of 2023, officials said on Saturday. Two private labs conducted nearly 22 lakh tests during February-December, 2023, out of which 65,000 were found to be fake, they said.

The labs were paid Rs 4.63 crore by the government for the tests conducted by them, they said. Last month, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the reports of irregularities in lab tests conducted at the Mohalla clinics. The ministry of home affairs has directed the CBI to undertake investigation in the matter.

The private labs conducted tests allegedly on ghost patients who never visited any Mohalla Clinic, claimed an ACB official. "It also emerged that the Lab Management Information System (LIMS), containing the name and mobile number of the patients, was also developed, operated and conveniently manipulated by the two private labs," he said. The report has found that the two private vendors have "full control and access" over the data and system software and hence, the possibility of manipulation of data could not be ruled out, officials said. The cost of conducting different tests at Mohalla clinics varied from Rs 100 to Rs 300.

The ACB, also through random tele-verification of mobile numbers of patients at both the private labs, found that a large number of tests were conducted on either invalid mobile numbers or mobile numbers not related to the patients, they said.

65K
No of ghost patients that have taken pathological tests

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