The unsettling revelations emerging from Ahmedabad’s Khyati Hospital point to a deep-seated scam exploiting the Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a scheme intended to provide affordable healthcare to the nation’s neediest citizens. In a disturbing twist, Khyati Hospital allegedly manipulated the PM-JAY program by conducting unnecessary procedures on unsuspecting, healthy villagers, profiting at the cost of their well-being. This malpractice, initially detected at a medical camp, was part of a broader scheme to falsely categorize healthy individuals as heart patients, subjecting them to invasive and unnecessary angioplasty.

In one incident dating back two years, Khyati Hospital hosted a free medical camp in Shertha, a village in Gandhinagar district, where nine villagers underwent angioplasty without genuine medical justification. Shockingly, when some patients became aware that treatments had been performed without their informed consent, four of them fled the hospital, asserting they had no heart problems and were treated in the dark. This mass misuse of free healthcare programs has led to an outcry, with many questioning the ethics and intentions of those responsible for patient care.

The scandal took a tragic turn with the deaths of two patients at Khyati Hospital, prompting the Gujarat government to file a police complaint against Dr. Prashant Vazirani, the hospital’s doctor and director, as well as three other hospital officials. This case has since expanded, linking Dr. Sanjay Patoliya, another prominent figure in the scandal, to similar allegations in hospitals across Rajkot and Surat, casting a cloud of suspicion over medical facilities throughout Gujarat.

Khyati Hospital’s alleged exploitation of the PM-JAY program goes beyond mere malpractice, signaling an abuse of trust in one of India’s flagship health initiatives. Reports indicate that the hospital targeted healthy individuals for unnecessary procedures, including angioplasty and stent implants, using the government’s funding to inflate profits. Investigations have uncovered that most patients who underwent angiography and angioplasty at Khyati showed no evidence of heart conditions, thus suggesting these treatments were purely financially motivated.

The exposure of malpractice at Khyati Multispecialty Hospital has continued to uncover disturbing details, with a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Dr. Prakash Mehta, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Sola Civil Hospital. Dr. Mehta, who also serves as a member of the inquiry committee appointed by the health commissioner, provided a clear account of the alleged scheme, stating, “From our report, it appears that Dr. Prashant Vazirani, along with Khyati Multispecialty Hospital’s director Dr. Kartik Patel, Dr. Sanjay Patoliya, Rajshri Kothari, Chirag Rajput, the CEO, and others involved, conspired with wrongful intent to misuse the govt’s PM-JAY scheme for illicit financial gain.” According to the FIR, this group allegedly orchestrated a criminal operation that involved misleading patients about their health status, particularly concerning heart disease, to conduct unnecessary medical procedures under the guise of legitimate treatments.

In an elaborate strategy to deceive, the accused allegedly "presented a false narrative of the patient’s actual physical conditions," manipulating patients into undergoing procedures they did not need. The inquiry details how patients were persuaded to consent to invasive procedures like stent placements, angiography, and angioplasty, which they were reportedly coerced into agreeing to through deceptive consent forms. This scheme, as noted in the FIR, exploited both the patients and the government’s PM-JAY scheme, a program intended to subsidize healthcare for those in need.

The impact of these fraudulent activities has been severe, with the FIR highlighting that "this malpractice has reportedly resulted in the deaths of two patients and caused bodily harm to others," noting that the procedures conducted at Khyati Multispecialty Hospital were so hazardous they risked further fatalities. In what appears to have been an effort to widen the scope of their scheme, the hospital held free health camps aimed at identifying 'patients.' The FIR reports that during a camp on November 10 in Borisana village, Kadi taluka, Mehsana district, hospital representatives misled villagers about non-existent heart disease.

Following the camp, the hospital admitted 19 villagers to its Ahmedabad facility on November 11, claiming that angiography procedures were necessary. Angiography, a procedure involving X-ray imaging to assess blood vessels for blockages, was performed, followed by unwarranted angioplasty and stent implants on seven individuals—all on the same day. This swift series of actions left little time for genuine medical evaluations, suggesting that profit, rather than patient health, was the primary motivation.

Adding to the intrigue, authorities report that several key figures remain at large. Zone-1 Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Himanshu Kumar Verma stated, “Hospital Chairman Kartik Jasu Patel, CEO Chirag Hirasingh Rajput, Director Rajshree Pradeep Kothari, and Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Sanjay Mulji Patolia remained on the run from the police.”

Reports continue to expose Khyati Hospital’s troubling practices, now implicating the hospital authorities in serious allegations filed by the Kadi police. The complaints accuse the hospital of enticing villagers from Borisana to visit Ahmedabad for treatment, even though the deceased patients and others had no history of heart disease or severe health conditions. Khyati Hospital’s management and associated individuals now face charges under the Bombay Nursing Homes Registration Act (BNS Act) for culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide, forgery, fraud, and criminal conspiracy. Vastrapur police are also preparing to pursue additional charges of fraud and criminal conspiracy against the hospital’s management.

According to a report from The Indian Express, this incident was far from isolated. Khyati Hospital had previously hosted a similar camp three months earlier in Paldi Kankaj village, Daskroi taluka, Ahmedabad. Such repeated setups suggest a disturbing pattern of drawing unsuspecting villagers into unnecessary and potentially harmful procedures.

The hospital's reputation has increasingly come under scrutiny. In one such instance on November 26, 2022, Khyati Hospital organized a free medical camp in Shertha village, Gandhinagar district. Jatin Patel, a resident of Shertha, recounted that 17 villagers, including his father, were taken to Ahmedabad by bus for angioplasty. Tragically, even after undergoing the procedure and stent placement, his father continued to suffer chest pain. When he was eventually taken to Gandhinagar Civil Hospital, he succumbed to his condition, leaving Jatin and his family devastated.

Further disturbing details reveal that patients lacking a ‘life card’ were sent home without receiving any treatment. Four individuals, sensing suspicious medical practices, openly declared their refusal to undergo any procedures and even escaped from the hospital. However, rather than respecting these decisions, the hospital continued to bring in new patients and perform angioplasty, inserting stents without informing families or securing proper consent. Patients’ families were reportedly kept in the dark, with the hospital securing only a single signature to authorize the treatments, thus bypassing standard consent protocols.

A deeply troubling aspect of these incidents is the lack of post-operative care. In standard procedures, patients are observed for at least 24 hours after angioplasty. Yet, Khyati Hospital discharged patients immediately after their procedures without any observation. The patients, originally transported from Shertha in buses, were left stranded upon discharge with no transportation arrangements. Many had to hire rickshaws to return to their village, underscoring the disregard for patient welfare.

The cumulative accounts from Shertha residents point to a disturbing trend at Khyati Hospital: the routine insertion of stents without patient knowledge or necessity, exploiting the vulnerable for profit.

Modus Operandi of Khyati Hospital: One-Time Free Camp in Each Village

Khyati Hospital’s alleged scheme revolved around a single objective: to exploit the PM-JAY scheme to earn money by treating patients without their knowledge or consent. The management’s strategy was to organize a one-time free medical camp in each village, ensuring that villagers remained unaware of the risks they were subjected to. In this manner, Khyati Hospital would perform as many angiography and angioplasty procedures as possible on villagers from one area before moving on to the next, constantly sourcing new patients from different villages. This method allowed the hospital to maximize profits while evading the sustained scrutiny of any single community.

Also Role of One Director of Khyati Hospital for Free Camps

The involvement of a director from Khyati Hospital in organizing these camps sheds light on the deceptive outreach that facilitated the scheme. This director maintained regular contact with various caste leaders and political figures across the villages of North Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar. By portraying the hospital as an institution that “wanted to do good to poor people” and boasting of “great doctors” available for free treatment of heart diseases, the director orchestrated free medical camps under the pretense of helping those in need. Following the exposure of this scandal, this director has reportedly gone underground, making it challenging for authorities to apprehend all individuals involved in the scam.

If the Khyati PM-JAY Scheme Had Been Audited…

Khyati Hospital’s approach to the PM-JAY scheme reveals a disturbing trend where a program intended to serve the poor became a source of unchecked revenue. The hospital allegedly performed angiography and angioplasty surgeries daily, generating significant income from government funds. Due to reports of malpractice, the hospital was previously suspended from participating in the PM-JAY scheme, raising serious questions about how it was allowed to rejoin without further oversight. As authorities now recognize, “if the state health department had audited Khyati Hospital on time, innocent patients would not have been victimized.” This lack of timely auditing has contributed to a deepening mistrust among the affected communities and raised concerns about the integrity of healthcare programs intended to protect the most vulnerable.

These revelations about Khyati Hospital highlight the urgent need for stricter oversight and accountability in healthcare programs, especially those that rely on government funding and serve disadvantaged populations. The tragic consequences of this exploitation have left a trail of grief, betrayal, and a pressing demand for justice.