How deaths from PM-JAY operations point to a systemic rot in Gujarat

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is suddenly at risk of a credibility crisis in Gujarat following the November 11 deaths of two beneficiaries who underwent angioplasty – allegedly without their knowledge, consent and due care.

The procedure was carried out by Ahmedabad-based Khyati Multispeciality Hospital on seven people after a medical check-up camp at their village Borisana in Kadi Taluka of Mehsana district, and the claims filed under PM-JAY.

Angioplasty is a medical procedure to improve blood flow in blocked coronary arteries. The two victims – Mahesh Barot, 52, and Nagar Senma, 75 – reportedly had no history of heart disease.

The news of their deaths sparked outrage in the village and beyond and opened a veritable can of worms on systemic loopholes in Gujarat, with loans to PM-JAY vulnerable to misuse by empaneled private hospitals. PM-JAY is a flagship central health insurance scheme launched by the Narendra. Modi government and entitles low-income families and everyone above 70 years to free medical treatment. According to the National Health Authority Dashboard, 26.2 million Ayushman cards have been created in Gujarat, of which 180,000 were made in the last 30 days.

Sensing another case of urban negligence that could cast a long shadow on governance in Gujarat, the health department removed Khyati Hospital from the PM-JAY list and filed cases against Dr Prashant Vazirani, who had performed the ill-fated surgeries performed; the hospital’s owner and chairman Kartik Patel, CEO Chirag Rajput, directors Rajshri Kothari, Dr Sanjay Patolia and marketing officer Milind Patel. The charges include culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide, forgery, deception and criminal conspiracy.

Major arrests were also made of Dr Vazirani, Milind Patel and Rahul Jain of the hospital management.

Kartik Patel is said to have left for Australia in early November and it was reported that some of the trustees and staff had gone into hiding.

The state government also removed six other hospitals from the PM-JAY empanel. Two of these are in Ahmedabad and one each in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gir Somnath. The government said these hospitals had violated PM-JAY norms.

Four doctors have been suspended: cardiologist Dr Vazirani, Dr Hiren Mashru (paediatrician, Nihit Hospital, Rajkot), Dr Ketan Kalariya (radiation oncologist based in Rajkot) and Dr Mihir Shah (surgical oncologist, Sunshine Hospital, Vadodara and Surat). Complaints have been received by the state government against all suspended hospitals and doctors for fabricating reports and giving improper treatment to patients to avail benefits under PM-JAY.

The investigation was quickly transferred to the police crime branch, which raided the offices and homes of the hospital’s owner and administrators and even froze the assets of the hospital and its top management to trace the money allegedly fraudulent used. claimed under PM-JAY.

The crime branch investigation has revealed some sinister details. Sources said Khyati Hospital had been running 19 medical camps in villages in north Gujarat in the last two years. Dozens of angioplasties have been performed recently, with at least half a dozen suspected suspects emerging and likely to be included in the investigation.

The sources claimed that some village heads were aware of the scam and had been bribed. Patients’ medical data collected during the medical camps was reportedly traded.

Sources said the role of senior Health Ministry officials is also being investigated internally as it is understood that such a scam could not have been carried out without official support at some level. “These deaths have blown the lid on a well-crafted scam that has been run by Khyati Hospital for years. It is extremely disturbing that with the help of the sarpanch, they identified and targeted underprivileged and elderly people in the village to carry out these operations, recognizing their vulnerability and lack of understanding about their health complications,” Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker said.

There is now a sharp demand from the opposition and resentment on social media for action against hospitals suspected of irregularities between PM and JAY and for a speedy investigation against whom complaints have been received. Under fire to defend the credibility of the central plan, the Gujarat government has indeed cracked the whip on Khyati Hospital, but whether it uses the opportunity to effectively tackle the systemic rot remains to be seen.

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