After scam Tata Memorial looks for tie-ups with private diagnostic centres

Mumbai: The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Parel, plans to explore the possibility of officially tying up with reputed diagnostic centres that can provide good quality scans that can match the cost of scans at TMH.

The decision to tie-up with other diagnostics centers was taken in a senior leadership team meeting at the hospital last week, after 21 Tata Memorial Hospital staffers were booked in a racket for referring patients to private laboratories to earn commission.

“We are looking at the possibility of empaneling high-quality scan centres and having an official tie-up with concessions being given for poor patients, ideally with the same cost of scans as at TMH,” said Dr C Pramesh, director, TMH.

The hospital said while it is unfortunate that some staff were taking commissions for it, they are looking at options that will benefit patients.

“Given the high number of patients coming to the hospital, it is inevitable that some patients will go outside for CT Scans and other diagnostic tests. If the scans are done outside and are of good quality, we do accept them and don’t repeat them at the hospital,” said a senior doctor from the hospital.

The hospital said none of their doctors were involved in the racket run by staffers. However, the police are investigating all angles.

On July 15, TMH registered a case against some of its employees and representatives of a private laboratory at Bhoiwada police station after it detected a racket run by a network of peons and ward boys.

Unsuspecting patients in their Outpatient Department (OPD) were led to undergo 2D ECHO, X-Ray, CT scans, MRI, PET scans, and similar tests at the private body, even though the facilities were available at the hospital at discounted rates.

Further probe revealed the complicity of a larger network of hospital staff, who would routinely send patients to the lab for tests, and the names of patients were sent through WhatsApp messages.

The police have booked a total of 23 people, out of which 21 are staffers from TMH. Eleven people have been arrested, and the rest are absconding.