Malda: A high-level team from the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) and the Adjudicating Authority, Malda, conducted its investigation on Thursday into the shocking allegations against Royal Nursing Home in Sujapur under Kaliachak Police Station accused of passing off a deceased patient as alive to inflate medical bills.
The inquiry team comprised ML Saha and Madhabi Das, both members of the WBCERC, along with Sougata Basu, assistant secretary and Debesh Kumar Roy, section officer. The team arrived in Malda on Thursday morning and left in the evening, both by Vande Bharat Express.
According to district administration sources, the special team from the district surveillance unit had earlier raided the nursing home and confirmed that the patient was already deceased when admitted. Despite that, the nursing home continued treatment procedures and billed the family for services not rendered. Following this, a complaint was formally lodged on June 17 with the West Bengal Medical Council and WBCERC.
The commission’s delegation inspected the entire nursing home, including ICU, OT, Pathology and other set up and took statements of all four concerned doctors, technician and nursing staff who were engaged in the treatment of the deceased before wrapping up the investigation on Thursday. The findings are expected to be placed before the Commission for further disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, enforcement actions were also carried out against several other clinics in English Bazar. On Wednesday evening, licenses of three nursing homes were cancelled and hefty fines imposed.
“In one case, while investigating the death of a pregnant woman, irregularities were discovered in connection with the Swasthya Sathi scheme,” said Sheikh Ansar Ahmed, Additional District Magistrate. “The clinic has been fined Rs 5 lakh and cancellation of its CE license has been recommended.”
Another clinic was fined Rs 2 lakh for Swasthya Sathi-related fraud and yet another was penalised Rs 2 lakh for operating without a fire safety license. One of the key cases under investigation involved Minara Khatun (26) of Katlamari village under Pukhuria Police Station. She had delivered a child at Kumarganj Hospital but continued to bleed heavily. Her husband, Rajjak Molla, alleged that she was shifted to a local nursing home under pressure from an acquaintance. “Soon after, the nursing home told us her condition had worsened and she needed to be taken to Malda Medical College. But by the time we reached, she had already died,” he said.