112 died in three years after free treatment at Gujarat pvt hospital under lens for botched angioplasty

AHMEDABAD: As many as 112 people have died in the last three years after or during treatment under government healthcare schemes at a private hospital here which is under the lens for the death of two PMJAY beneficiaries following botched angioplasty, police said on Friday.

The revelation came during investigations days after the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested Dr Sanjay Patolia, a bariatric surgeon and one of the directors of city-based Khyati Multispeciality Hospital, which hit headlines last month after two "patients" registered under PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) died following unnecessary angioplasty procedure.

Between September 2021 and October 2024, nearly 8,500 patients received treatment or underwent different surgeries at the private hospital, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Bharat Patel.

"Of these, 3,842 persons received free treatment under government schemes such as PMJAY. Our probe has revealed that of these 3,842 beneficiaries, 112 lost their lives during or after treatment in these three years. Medical experts will be roped in to investigate these deaths," he told reporters.

The investigations have also revealed that the hospital management, including those who are under arrest in the angioplasty death case, divided revenue under different heads in the account books and eventually showed a loss of Rs 1.5 crore in the last financial report, informed the police officer.

So far, the crime branch has arrested seven persons, including Khyati Multispeciality CEO Rahul Jain and director (marketing) Chirag Rajput, in connection with the death of two PMJAY beneficiaries following botched angioplasty.

Two more accused -- hospital chairman Kartik Patel (who is abroad) and director Rajshri Kothari -- are still absconding, police said earlier.

The investigations were triggered by complaints from the families of the two deceased, who were among seven individuals who underwent angioplasty at the hospital on November 11.

Angioplasty is a procedure that widens blocked or narrowed coronary arteries to improve blood flow to the heart.

The investigations have showed the hospital organised free check-up camps in villages to convince PMJAY cardholders to undergo angioplasty despite no medical necessity for the procedure. People were falsely registered under "emergency" category to expedite government nod for the procedure. In return, the hospital claimed payments from the government under the scheme, police stated.

On November 12, the Vastrapur police registered three FIRs over the death of two PMJAY beneficiaries and arrested visiting cardiologist Dr Prashant Vazirani.

Police have charged the accused with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The FIRs accuse the hospital management and doctors of conspiring to obtain financial benefits under the central government's health scheme.