Berhampur: A flourishing racket of brokers and middlemen that thrives on fleecing gullible patients is only growing from strength to strength at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here despite the formation of a special cell to check the menace.
Patients and attendants from remote pockets of the state are easily lured by these middlemen. The patients, due to lack of awareness regarding facilities available at the hospital, fall into the brokers’ trap who refer them to private nursing homes. For each referral, there is a hefty commission involved.
Once admitted to the nursing homes, the patients are forced to shell out money for a battery of tests that could have been avoided had they opted for treatment at the government hospital.
Repeated complaints have been made in this regard. However, authorities are sitting pretty without taking any action, the complainants rued.
MKCG is the biggest government hospital in South Orissa. Thousands of patients from five districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri come here for treatment every day.
The brokers lie in wait for patients, and surround them promising medicines and treatment at ‘dirt-cheap prices’.
Later, they take the patients to medical stores and private clinics and nursing homes from where they get their commissions. In some cases, even after getting commissions from the medical stores, the middlemen reportedly threaten and bulldoze the patients into paying them money.
At least 10 medical stores near the hospital have been accused of employing such middlemen to lure gullible patients. Over 50 youths are said to be engaged in this activity and their only job is to find gullible patients and take them to the medical stores.
There has been a sharp spurt in such activities over the last few years, but there is no action being taken by authorities. Earlier, the district administration at a meeting presided over by district collector Prem Kumar Chaudhary decided to form a special cell to help patients avail better healthcare facilities and prevent them from falling into the middlemen’s trap.
The special cell was supposed to work round the clock but no action is being done on the ground, it is claimed.
When contacted, the medical superintendent and college authorities claimed they were repeatedly passing information to the police and the district administration regarding such activities but no steps were being taken from their side. PNN