Delhi mohalla clinics under scrutiny for 'fake' tests: L-G V K Saxena recommends CBI probe

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has recommended a CBI investigation into the allegations of fake lab tests at Delhi's mohalla clinics. The development comes days after the L-G and Delhi Health Minister sparred over the lack of "quality medicines" at Delhi government hospitals. The officials said that the recent allegations are indicative of a scam running in hundreds of crores.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party was quick to react to the allegations with Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj clarifying that in 2023, the Delhi government de-empaneled several doctors and staffers at mohalla clinics for wrongdoings. The minister reaffirmed his demand for the sacking of the health secretary.

The officials revealed that the Delhi mohalla clinics were carrying out tests in the name of patients visiting Delhi government hospitals and the payments were going to the private labs. "It is indicative of a scam running in hundreds of crores (of rupees). Saxena had issued these directions while clearing a file pertaining to the extension of lab testing services to private parties for patients visiting Mohalla clinics and Delhi government hospitals in December 2022," an official said.

BJP targets Delhi government

The issue reignited the already heated-up politics of Delhi as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. “The so-called 'Mohalla Clinics' provided the facility for pathological testing. Based on the vigilance reports and departmental findings, those (pathological) tests are also now under the scanner of the probe…It is being investigated that in one day, the clinics saw a maximum number of 533 patients. The time for the clinics is 9 am to 1 pm. Now imagine, if they checked 533 patients within 240 minutes, then it means they saw a patient for just half a minute,” Delhi BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi

“Even after the introduction of Amrit Kaal, instead of making a super-specialty institute or lab, the national capital is still following the old mohalla clinic system,” he added.

Aam Aadami Party maintained that the senior officials of the health department are appointed by the Centre, and they have responsibility for monitoring the irregularities in diagnostic labs.

“Some doctors had recorded their video and given it to the employees and through that they used to mark their attendance in the app every day. In this case, 26 personnel including seven doctors and staff were fired…Whether it is a Mohalla clinic or a medicine store when someone gives a wrong phone number, this is the job of officials to check,” Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said.

The Delhi government emphasized that the officers responsible must be removed from their positions.