The COVID-19 Task Force comprising sleuths from the Vigilance and Enforcement Department, District Medical and Health Officer, and the Drug Control Administration on Wednesday arrested Ravibabu, the managing partner of S.V. Hospital in the city, for overcharging patients, treating more number of patients than permitted and misusing Remdesivir stocks.
Meanwhile, a flying squad in Kurnool found similar discrepancies in the treatment and collection of excess fees from patients at the Gayatri Hospital in the 4th Town Police Station limits on Tuesday night. Police took into custody the owner of the hospital Jeelani Basha on Wednesday.
Kurnool district-level flying squad member Y. Naga Prasad Babu lodged a complaint with the police and submitted a report on their findings that the hospital was charging excess fees and treating 50 patients while it was authorised to treat only 25, a release from Superintendent of Police Fakkeerappa Kaginelli said.
The hospital had 52 vials of Remdesivir injection while it had declared only two and was hoarding the remaining, the complaint said.
In Anantapur, Superintendent of Police B. Satya Yesu Babu told reporters on Wednesday night that they had arrested Mr. Ravibabu, and will send him on remand after producing him in court. The flying squad had on Tuesday night detected gross violations of the Aarogyasri rules and conditions for treating COVID-19 patients by charging ₹25,000 from patients in the ICU isntead of ₹10,000 a day.
The hospital was authorised to treat only seven patients but was treating more than 25 patients and denying treatment under Aarogyasri despite patients being eligible for it.
“They were fleecing the patients in the name of private treatment and charging abnormally high prices for Remdesivir and possessed excess stocks than declared for the seven patients,” he said.
