Humayun Kabir’s purported video claiming massive corruption in Bengal’s health scheme goes viral

Kolkata, Jan 3 (IANS) A purported video of suspended Trinamool Congress legislator from the Bharatpur Assembly, Humayun Kabir, alleging rampant corruption in ‘Swasthya Sathi’, the West Bengal government’s health insurance scheme, has gone viral on social media.

In the video, Kabir was heard claiming that under this scheme, private hospitals and nursing homes were inflating hospital bills of Rs 5,000 ten times to Rs 50,000 and then routing the bills through the State Health Department.

He also alleged that these private hospitals and nursing homes were getting payments for those inflated bills cleared by paying a bribe of Rs 10,000 to the clearing officers in the State Health Department.

“In reality, private nursing homes and hospitals were gaining Rs 35,000 over the actual bill of Rs 5,000. Often, such inflated bills get cleared after a year. But considering the high margin, these entities do not mind the delay,” said Kabir, who last month announced his new political outfit christened Janata Unnayan Party.

In the video, Kabir was also heard describing the pathetic conditions of patients admitted at the state-run hospitals in Murshidabad.

“There you will find three patients being accommodated on one hospital bed, and the fourth patient lying under the bed.

IANS, however, could not check the authenticity of the video.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Information Technology Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, had shared the video on the wall of his social media handle.

In his post, Malviya also referred to the event of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India unearthing a massive scam of Rs 100 crore relating to flood relief in Malda district of West Bengal.

“This is nothing but organised loot of the common people of Bengal and a mockery of healthcare, sanctioned from the very top by Mamata Banerjee herself. From flood relief to healthcare, corruption now rules Bengal. Mamata Banerjee’s regime is sucking the blood and sweat of Bengalis to build her empire,” Malviya claimed.

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