Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Health Assurance Society (SHAS), the nodal agency responsible for implementing the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, has de-empanelled five private hospitals for committing irregularities. This action is part of the government’s strict stance against fraudulent activities within the scheme, aimed at providing affordable healthcare to citizens.
The five hospitals that have been removed from the empanelled list include four located in Raipur, Chhattisgarh — Mittal Hospital, Banthia Hospital, Soni Hospital, and Babuji Care Hospital — and one within Odisha, Samaleswari Nursing Home in Deogarh district.
The de-empanelment follows an extensive investigation by SHAS’s grievance redressal and internal vigilance mechanism. The agency, through its regular analysis of grievances, claim submissions, and feedback from the 104 call centre, uncovered several malpractices. These included the use of fake referral slips in the name of government hospitals, submission of fabricated documents, demanding cash from poor patients, and encouraging unnecessary hospital admissions for financial gain.
Sources from SHAS revealed that the fraudulent practices detected violated the integrity of the scheme, which is designed to provide free healthcare to vulnerable sections of society. SHAS has emphasized that such actions will not be tolerated, and stricter measures will be taken against any hospitals found guilty of similar misconduct in the future.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has issued a stern warning to all empanelled hospitals, stating that any further fraudulent activity will be dealt with even more severely in the coming days, as the government seeks to safeguard the welfare of patients and ensure that the scheme remains free of corruption.