Shimla, August 21 (PTI) Amid investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the Himachal Pradesh government’s flagship healthcare scheme, an RTI response has triggered a fresh controversy over uterine surgeries allegedly performed on male patients.
The controversy dates back to March when Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during budget session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, claimed irregularities had surfaced during an internal audit of the ‘Himcare’ health scheme.
Authorities allegedly found that funds had been disbursed against fake bills, several of them pertaining to uterine and ovarian surgeries in men, the chief minister had said, adding that a vigilance inquiry had been ordered into such discrepancies.
Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, BJP MLA from Bharmour Dr Janak Raj — the former medical superintendent of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla — shared information obtained through RTI from three government hospitals.
The response said there were no records of uterine surgeries on male patients between 2019 and 2022.
Janak Raj said, under the RTI Act, information on three specific points was sought from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) Shimla, Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital Tanda.
The RTI application sought details on the total number of uterus removal surgeries performed during the relevant period, the number of such surgeries performed on male patients, and records pertaining to such cases, if any.
In response, all three institutions clarified that no uterus removal surgeries had been performed on male patients during the period.
A day before, the Vigilance Bureau investigation team had questioned Janak Raj regarding alleged irregularities in the Himcare scheme.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Raj said the RTI response from the hospitals clarified that no uterine surgeries had been performed on men, thus negating the chief minister’s assertion over the alleged cause of discrepancies in state government’s health scheme.
While a Vigilance Bureau team is probing the matter, the BJP has been demanding an inquiry into the alleged irregularities by a high court judge. PTI BPL ARB ARB
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