The fact came to light during the process of verifying license renewal applications for hospitals and clinics

A doctor in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has a staggering 83 hospitals registered under his name across various districts in the state, including Meerut and Kanpur. The fact came to light during the process of verifying license renewal applications for hospitals and clinics.

Authorities have uncovered a larger scandal involving 449 medical facilities in and around Agra, which were found to be illegally operated by 15 doctors. Chief Medical Officer Arun Kumar Srivastava said that notices have been sent to these doctors, and a thorough investigation is underway.

The modus operandi of this fraudulent scheme involves non-medical practitioners obtaining licenses from the health department under the names of doctors. These licenses are then used to operate hospitals, clinics, and pathology labs.

The list of implicated medical practitioners includes physicians, cardiologists, pediatricians, and surgeons.

According to health department records, a total of 1,269 medical centers were registered during the 2022-23 period. Among these, there were 494 hospitals, 493 clinics, 170 pathology labs, 104 diagnostics centers, seven sample collection centers, and one dialysis center. So far, the health department has successfully renewed the registration of 570 hospitals and clinics for the upcoming year after conducting thorough verifications.

Many hospitals and clinics applying for license renewal have failed to provide necessary details related to trained paramedical staff, compliance with fire safety regulations, and proper disposal of medical waste. The information provided about bed capacity and other facilities appears suspicious, raising further concerns.

The president of the Indian Medical Association in Agra Dr OP Yadav, expressed serious concern over these practices and condemned them. He assured support to the health department in taking necessary action and emphasized the need for the government to enforce strict measures against these centers and the medical practitioners involved in this fraudulent activity.