Police chief warns PCMC of law and order problems after four doctors arrested for accepting bribe
Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Krishna Prakash has warned the PCMC administration of possible law and order problems in the industrial city if it does not set its ‘house in order’.
The police chief’s warning came in the wake of the arrest of the four doctors – two belonging to PCMC-run Auto Cluster Covid hospital – for accepting money for providing a ventilator bed to a Covid-19 patient.
In a letter to Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Patil, the police chief said, “Since doctors from Sparsh Multispeciality which runs PCMC’s Covid hospital have been found to be involved in wrongdoing, the PCMC should initiate strict action in the matter so that such incidents do not occur in future.”
“The letter was sent to the PCMC commissioner after the Auto Cluster incident came to light. I have not only demanded action against those who run the PCMC Covid hospital, but I have also suggested that PCMC set its house in order vis-a-vis all civic hospitals,” Prakash told indiaexpress.com on Sunday.
Prakash said doctors from Auto Cluster hospital have been found taking money and indulging in cut practice. “And now one employee has been found black-marketing Remedisivir injections. There is something wrong in the functioning of the hospitals. PCMC should take strong measures to put the functioning of the hospitals in order…Otherwise this would anger the people and would lead to law and order problems,” he said.
When asked whether the PCMC commissioner had called him up and promised strong measures, Prakash said he was waiting to hear from the civic administration. “So far, I have not received any call,” he said.
Mayor intervenes
When contacted, Mayor Usha Dhore said she had raised the issue with the PCMC commissioner on Saturday. “The PCMC chief has promised to take measures to get the functioning of all hospitals including the Auto Cluster hospital in order,” she said.
The mayor said the police chief was not wrong in giving PCMC an advance warning. “The police chief has alerted us about what could happen in future if the hospital staff continues to behave the way they are… It is our duty to get everything right,” she said.
The mayor said the PCMC administration has already sorted out the admission process at all its hospitals including the Auto Cluster one. “The decision of admission of patients at Auto Cluster hospital is being taken by doctors of YCM hospital. Patients need not directly go to Auto Cluster hospital. They have to first go to YCM hospital triage where a team of doctors will refer them to Auto Cluster or any other civic hospital, ” she said.
Lamenting the incident in which an employee of Auto Cluster was caught black-marketing Remdisivir, the mayor said, “After doctors, now a non-medical person has also been arrested. Because of some wayward people, entire system is coming under the scanner … this indeed call for stern measures.”
The mayor said she will convene a meeting of PCMC officials and office-bearers in the coming week to discuss the letter sent by the police commissioner. “We have to take serious note of the letter sent by the police commissioner…we cannot ignore it. It will only help us to get things in order,” she said.
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