AMC paid agencies for 40-50 employees at L G Hospital that never showed up

An alleged absenteeism scam has come to light at the government-run L G Hospital in Ahmedabad’s Maninagar, whereby AMC paid wages to security and housekeeping agencies for 40-50 employees who did not show up for duty.

The tender approved by AMC covers a staff of 400 personnel  daily. However, only 170 employees were recorded per shift, which translates to 510 people across three shifts. Now, the agency – AB Enterprise – has allegedly marked extra staff of at least 40 people, and has charged AMC for that.

As per reports, the authorities and vigilance department of the state have been informed about this anomaly. However, no action has been taken yet.

According to the AMC tender, the agencies managing the staff have to procure a deployment sheet daily, which is put up in advance. However, after the scam has come to light, whether these procedures were followed or not is a question many are asking.

The housekeeping agency, which needs to put a checklist for toilet cleaning, is also not maintaining it, as per reports. Notably, the housekeeping staff is offered a wage of ₹500-₹700 daily. The same agency also holds the contract for cleaning of students’ hostels, indicating a deeper scam.

Persistent complaints about the lack of cleaning equipment including scrubbing machines, high-pressure jet machines, etc., have been received, despite the agencies being paid the full tender amount for keeping the hospital clean.

Moreover, some of the bathrooms also lack handwash despite being clearly mentioned in the tender.