How many child a woman can bear in a yearIJ Well, if official records are to be believed, a nurse at a rural hospital in Assam’s Hailakandi district bore about 85 children in less than a year and claimed Rs500 against each of them under an existing scheme of the department of Health and Family welfare of the Assam Government.
The interesting case came to the fore after Hailakandi Deputy Commissioner Barun Bhuyan suspended the ANM nurse of Nitainagar health centre in the district, lily Begum laskar for allegedly en-cashing the 85 cheques of Rs500 each meant for mothers, who chooses to deliver their child at rural Government health centres.
“She has been in charge for making payments to these mothers after safe childbirth. While she faked 85 pregnancies on her name and claimed the cheques during the last six months time, she also withdrew the money fraudulently against another 70 cheques to be paid to such mothers, who delivered their children in the rural health centre,” said a senior official of the Hailakandi Health Department.
“She has been able to do it for so long as she was responsible for distributing the cheques to the mothers before they leave the hospital after successful delivery. Most of the people are not aware about these schemes and she seems to have taken advantage of the same. The discrepancies came to the fore after the Department conducted an internal audit of the implementation of the schemes,” said the DC said.
“laskar has been suspended and a probe has been ordered into the incident. There are allegations that she had illegally en-cashed cheques meant for beneficiaries under a scheme for those mothers, who chose to go for institutional deliveries at rural hospitals. Further departmental action will be taken against her after the inquiry report,” said Joint Director of Health, Hailakandi, lB Hajger.
“However, we are yet to ascertain the exact amount of money she had withdrawn fraudulently as the inquiry is yet to be completed. I am waiting for the inquiry report,” he said.
It may be mentioned here that a few months back two other nurses of the Hailakandi civil hospital were suspended for their involvement in fraudulently showing nine men as beneficiary under the same scheme and en-cashing the cheques of Rs 500 each issued against them.