CAG flags financial irregularities at Ahmedabad Civil under PMNRF
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged alleged financial irregularities at the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, revealing that patients were allegedly charged cash for medical tests even after financial assistance under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) had already been credited to the hospital.
According to the CAG audit, a 21-year-old kidney transplant patient was sanctioned ₹3 lakh under the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for treatment. Despite the amount being credited to the institute's account, the patient was allegedly asked to pay ₹4,540 in cash for essential diagnostic tests, including CBC and blood culture.
The audit also cited another case in which a patient was allegedly required to pay ₹7,000 despite the availability of government assistance.
The findings are part of the CAG's audit of the institute's accounts covering the period from 2015 to 2023. The report revealed that as of October 20, 2023, the institute was holding around ₹30.20 crore as patient deposits. Of this, nearly ₹16.80 crore comprised financial assistance received under the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
The audit observed that a substantial portion of these funds had remained unused for several years, with some amounts lying idle since 2016, raising concerns over the utilisation of government aid meant for patient treatment.
According to sources, the audit points to a pattern in which patients were allegedly made to pay cash for investigations and diagnostic tests, while the financial assistance released by the Centre continued to remain unutilised in the institute's accounts.
The CAG report has also questioned why no corrective action was taken despite the alleged financial irregularities continuing for several years.
The findings have raised concerns over the management and utilisation of public funds intended to provide financial relief to
economically weaker patients undergoing treatment at one of Gujarat's premier government-run kidney care institutions.
