MKCG Hospital touts on admin radar

Berhampur: Launching a crackdown against brokers who have been allegedly cheating patients visiting government-run MKCG Hospital in the city, the administration on Thursday nabbed two such touts.

Acting on a tip off, Sub-Collector Sidhharth Sekhar Swain and Tehsildar Ranjeet Parida conducted surprise raids at the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the hospital and caught three persons red-handed who used to lure poor patients with false claims of providing better pathological tests at cheaper rates at other private diagnostic centres.

After interrogation, three accused were later handed over to Baidyanathpur police.

However, sources said that the police warned the three accused to refrain from cheating people visiting hospitals and released them on submission of PR bond.

"We had been receiving complaints from patients that several touts were cheating and manipulating them to private hospitals and clinics and based on that we raided and arrested three persons in this connection. The three middlemen used to solicit services for different agencies by fooling people of providing good healthcare even though such facilities are present in the hospital," Sub-Collector Sidhharth Sekhar Swain said.

Refuting such charges, one of the accused said "We never force anyone or claim of providing better tests at private clinics. We only help people so that they get good treatment."

Sources said, brokers target illiterate and poor patients coming from far-flung areas, who can be convinced easily. Hordes of patients from across the state visit MKCG Hospital and are cheated by the brokers.