In Madhya Pradesh, health is wealth

Last week8217;s raids on the premises of Abhay Vishnoi, brother of MP health minister Ajay Vishnoi, is the second such raid on properties owned by health officials. Friday8217;s raids came after last year8217;s search and seizure operation by the I-T department on the premises of then director health services Dr Yograj Sharma, who was compulsorily retired by the government.

From buying rusted surgical equipment to ordering excessive medicines to buying cheap drugs at higher prices, the health department has been in the middle of several scams. All this while, beneficiaries across the state have struggled to get proper treatment, either due to shortage or non-availability of medicines, equipment or doctors.

Only a fortnight ago, local representatives in Raisen district, not far from Bhopal, complained about the lack of health facilities in Sultanpur, Raisen and Obaidullaganj among other areas

8220;I complained to everyone but given the rampant corruption at the top there was little hope of action,8221; said Rajesh Patel, a Congress MLA from Bhojpur. He said patients are often asked to purchase medicines from private medical stores because the hospitals don8217;t stock enough.

Last year, surgical instruments supplied to several district hospitals were found to be rusted. An inquiry conducted by experts from five medical colleges found that surgical kits were sub-standard. Despite the clamour by the Opposition, action was not taken against anyone with the drug cartel raising doubts about those conducting the inquiry itself.

The scam was reported when the all-powerful Dr Yogiraj Sharma was director health and calling the shots in the government. The government did not act against him though several cases were pending against him in the economic offences wing. I-T authorities on Monday confirmed Sharma and his associates were worth at least Rs 100 crore.

Sources in the health department told The Indian Express that 27 warehouses are full of medicines that are either not needed or required in very small quantities. Bhopal8217;s J.P. Hospital recently received 600 snakebite antidotes when it hardly used a dozen the previous year. Recently, drugs worth Rs two crore were sent back by an Indore warehouse because no one had ordered them in the first place.

The modus operandi is simple8212;district hospitals are asked to send demands and then the records are fudged. I-T raids at suppliers and builders have yielded diaries with names of government officials and their commission.

Opposition leader Jamuna Devi puts the scam at Rs 500 crore. On October 11, 2007 she had written to Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleging that Vishnoi and director health Ashok Sharma were manipulating the health department8217;s budget. She said the last week8217;s raids had vindicated her stand.

The rot

8226; Surgical instruments supplied to several district hospitals were found to be rusted

8226; 27 warehouses are full of medicines that are either not needed or required in very small quantities

8226; Bhopal8217;s J.P. Hospital recently received 600 snakebite antidotes when it hardly used a dozen the previous year