Osmania Hospital certificate scam unearthed; inquiry committee formed
HYDERABAD: At a key department in Osmania General Hospital, every certificate allegedly has a price tag. Files move swiftly if the demanded amount is paid, regardless of deficiencies. If not, applications remain pending for months or even years, complainants said.
Several poor patients have been forced to make repeated rounds of the hospital as they were unable to pay bribes demanded by staff, according to complaints.
Victim complaints trigger government action
The alleged corruption came to light after some victims approached Praja recently. Following this, the government ordered action against the department and constituted an inquiry committee.
The committee comprises the principals of Nizamabad Medical College, Nagar Kurnool Medical College and Gadwal Medical College Krishna Mohan, Rama Devi and Mahboob Banu respectively. The panel has been directed to conduct a detailed inquiry into the functioning of the department and submit a report to the government.
Alleged rates range from ₹2,000 to ₹3.5 lakh
According to complaints, fixed rates were allegedly charged for different services. These include thousands of rupees for death certificate entries, up to ₹3.5 lakh for invalidation certificates, and ₹1,000 to ₹50,000 for signing Employee Benefit Scheme (EBS) forms depending on the policy amount.
Medical certificates required for government or private jobs allegedly cost between ₹20,000 and ₹1 lakh. Corrections to names in pension records reportedly attract bribes ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000.
There are also allegations that fake medical certificates were issued to some individuals, resulting in fraud. Sources said a retired official continues to exercise influence over the department despite superannuation last year.
The committee is expected to submit its findings to the government soon.
Case example
A government employee from Medchal district reportedly fell seriously ill during the Covid-19 period. Due to diabetes, hypertension and related complications, both his legs were amputated. Submission of an invalidation (unfit) certificate would have enabled a family member to seek a job under compassionate appointment. The employee allegedly spent over a year and a half pursuing the certificate, sources said.
