PM-JAY Scam Exposed: Private Hospitals Milking Schemes for Billions

Ahmedabad, Gujarat - A scathing audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed that Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a flagship scheme of the Ayushman Bharat initiative, is being misused by private hospitals to earn money, rather than providing quality healthcare to poor and vulnerable families.

The CAG audit report, which covers 50 hospitals in Gujarat, found that these institutions were treating far more patients than their bed capacity allowed. For instance, at the Surendranagar Medico Multispecialty Hospital, 97 patients were being treated against the capacity of just 34 beds. The auditor also uncovered cases where patients were simultaneously admitted to multiple hospitals.

The audit report revealed a staggering ₹3,507.72 crore in payments made by the state government under the PM-JAY scheme between November 2022 and March 2021, covering over 14 million cases. However, the hospitals claiming these funds allegedly provided substandard treatment, with some patients reporting that their treatment was merely a paper exercise.

The most recent case of abuse has been exposed at Ahmedabad's Khyati Hospital, where two patients from the town of Kadi died after doctors conducted angioplasties on them in an apparent attempt to cash in on the government scheme. The hospital claims over ₹27 crores for 600 cardiology treatments and made claims worth ₹3.66 crores in just six months.

The probe into the Khyati hospital row has been initiated, following allegations of a suspected PM-JAY scam. This fresh revelation adds weight to previous CAG findings, highlighting the need for strict oversight and accountability mechanisms within the healthcare sector to prevent such malpractices.

As the government continues to push for health reforms, the exposure of private hospitals' abuse of the PM-JAY scheme raises serious questions about the welfare of citizens and the efficacy of health schemes implemented by the government.