The Vigilance police on Wednesday arrested SCB Medical College Hospital Clinical Hematology Department Professor and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) Nodal Officer Sudha Sethy on the charges of embezzling OSTF funds.
The anti-graft agency during inquiry found SCB Medical College Hospital Clinical and Hematology Department Head of Department (HOD) Professor DR Rabinda Jena abusing his official position and showing undue official favour to different pharmaceutical companies by prescribing their high-cost drugs to poor patients getting financial assistance for their treatment under OSTF by the SCB Medical College for foreign tours and accommodation abroad.
The OSTF was launched in December 2011 by the State Government. The primary objective of the scheme is to help supplement the poor patients coming under BPl category, who are suffering from life threatening diseases like cancer and chronic heart diseases. Under the scheme, after receipt of the application for treatment, the Nodal Officer with the HOD’s approval after preparing an estimate and expenditure relating to plan of treatment sends the applications to the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) for sanction of funds.
It was found during enquiry that HOD Jena and Assistant Prof Sethy in furtherance of their common intention and in conspiracy with e Pfizer pharmaceutical company have been sending the application forms of the patients with estimate for expenditure, mentioning therein the generic, molecular name of the medicines prescribed instead of writing the specific names of the medicines, which were available in the central store of the SCB Medical College.
The inquiry further revealed that in respect of Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) injections, ‘Atgam’ is the brand name of ATG produced by the multinational Pfizer Company and ‘Thymogam’ is the product of Indian company Bharat Serum and Vaccines limited, Maharashtra. The price of ‘Atgam’ is more than double than that of ‘Thymogam’. Though the molecule of both the injections are same, but the MRP of one vial of ‘Atgam’ was Rs.18,018 as on 4.04.2016, whereas MRP of one vial of ‘Thymogam’ was Rs.8,682 as on 15.04.2016.
The Vigilance has lodged cases against Dr Jena, Dr Sethy and the pharmaceutical companies. While Sethy was arrested, the Vigilance is on the lookout for Dr Jena, who is still absconding.