A major question mark has been raised over the functioning of the health department in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. Here, BJP district president Dhruv Kumar Singh has accused Deputy CMO Dr. Arvind Chaudhary of appointing nodal officers for private hospitals in violation of rules and extorting money from them. He has submitted a written complaint to the DM in this regard, along with an audio evidence, which is claimed to be a recording of conversations related to the alleged extortion.
Dhruv Singh alleged that despite the availability of Level-4 doctors in the district, a Level-3 doctor was appointed as the nodal officer, disregarding the rules. He said that Dr. Chaudhary first seals private hospitals, nursing homes, and pathology labs and then allows them to reopen after taking a hefty amount of money. The BJP leader claimed that this has been going on for a long time and has raised questions about the transparency of health services.
Allegations of bribery in jobs and medical reports
The complaint not only alleges the appointment of nodal officers but also demands money for giving jobs and medical examinations. Dhruv Singh claimed that illegal extortion of ₹2.5 to 3 lakh per person was done in the appointment of more than 100 outsourcing employees in the health department. Besides this, lakhs of rupees were taken as bribes in the name of medical check-ups for police recruitment.
The complaint specifically mentions New Ayush Nursing Home of Lalganj, stating that it was sealed on the orders of the CMO, but Dr. Chaudhary allowed it to reopen after taking ₹70,000 from the operator Abhishek Kumar Saroj. The shocking thing is that Saroj does not have any medical degree, yet he was given a fake registration by calling him a doctor. An audio clip of the entire matter has been submitted to the DM as evidence.
Questions also raised about posting in the same district for 18 years
The BJP district president questioned why an officer like Dr. Chaudhary has been posted in the same district for the last 18 years. He alleged that due to being in the same place for so long, the officer has created a b network of corruption, which has affected the functioning of the department. He demanded that Dr. Chaudhary be immediately removed from the district and a fair investigation of the entire matter be conducted.
DM gives strict instructions
After the matter came to light, the District Magistrate immediately ordered an inquiry. A three-member inquiry committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Development Officer Parikshit Khatana, which includes DDO Sanjay Kumar Singh and Chief Treasury Officer Anurag Srivastava.
The committee started its action on Saturday and first recorded the statement of the complainant, Dhruv Kumar Singh. The BJP leader told the committee that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government is strict against corruption and strict action should be taken against the culprits in this matter as well.
Panic in administrative circles
After the complaint and audio evidence came to light, there has been a stir in the health department. Currently, no reaction has come from Dr. Chaudhary. But the entire episode has raised questions about the credibility of the administration.
The big challenge before the inquiry committee now is to thoroughly investigate the allegations, bring out the truth, and if the allegations are proven true, ensure strict action against the culprits.
