A complaint was lodged with the SP Vigilance, Rourkela, by the Rourkela District Congress Committee (RDC), demanding an inquiry into corruption in the spending of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, especially for treatment of Corona patients in the JP Hospital, a private hospital in Sundargarh.

The party charged that about Rs 105 crore was disbursed from the DMF fund in favour of the JP Hospital with Rs 5,18, 969 spent for each patient. Whereas it was Rs 1, 24, 672 (average) per patient in the SUM Hospital Bhubaneswar and Rs 98, 273 (average) per patient in KIMS, Bhubaneswar, the expenditure in JP Hospital was far higher.

Everybody knows the standard of health services provided in SUM and KIMS and JP. Further, it could be well assessed from the death ratio of Corona patients in JP versus the other two hospitals. So, there is nexus between certain corrupt Government officials and JP Hospital management that led to estimating the hospital charges exorbitantly and encouraging under the table deals, alleged Congress.

Similarly, during the second wave of Corona, assistance for 500 ICU beds was sanctioned from DMF fund but an inquiry can only reveal the ICU bed strength of the JP Hospital and hence, the genuineness of the utilisation of the funds, it said.

The party also alleged that since the inception, the JP Hospital is in the thick of controversy and despite this, the district administration chose it to be Covid hospital.

Under the leadership of RDCC interim president Debabrata Behari, the party lodged the FIR with the Rourkela Vigilance SP. Among others, former DCC president Biren Senapaty, Mahila Congress president Nirupama Baliarsingh and PCC member Pravati Mihra were present. Behari said the Vigilance SP assured them to inquire into the matter fairly.