PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Taking a serious note of the alleged impersonation in the beneficiary authentication and monitoring system under the Ayushman Bharat scheme at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital, the principal Dr Geeta Jain has constituted a high-level inquiry committee. The panel has been directed to submit a detailed report with corrective measures within three working days.
Notably, recent reports revealed a case of impersonation at GDMC Hospital, where a patient allegedly received treatment using another person’s Ayushman card. The incident occurred on May 26 when a 40-year-old person from Govindgarh, Tehri was admitted to the hospital under the scheme. During verification, it emerged that the treatment was being availed on the Ayushman card of another beneficiary.
Asked about the actions to be taken on the matter, Jain emphasised that the issue extends beyond merely obtaining treatment using someone else’s Ayushman card. “If a medical complication or untoward incident were to occur to the person receiving treatment based on a misidentification, the legal and medical liability of the actual beneficiary, the cardholder and the hospital could become complicated. As such, this issue is not simply a financial irregularity; it raises serious questions involving patient safety, medical responsibility and ethical conduct,” Jain said.
Jain described impersonation as a “serious and inhumane act,” asserting that using another person’s identity to receive treatment violates rules and negatively impacts the rights of actual beneficiaries and the credibility of the healthcare system as a whole.
She said that the hospital administration’s priority is not only to identify the culprits but also to develop robust and effective systems to prevent future incidents. “To achieve this, the committee will comprehensively review all systems related to Ayushman beneficiary verification, photo matching, Aadhaar and biometric authentication, facilitation processes, monitoring mechanisms and the verification of high-cost treatments,” she said, adding that the objective of the investigation is to make the operation of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme more fool-proof, transparent, accountable and secure.
The committee members include professor and head of the department of Medicine Dr Vivekanand Satyawali as chairperson, Dr Vandana Bisht from the department of obstetrics and gynaecology as member and associate professor, department of Orthopaedics Dr Pavanish Lohan as member.
