Govt staffers face 'financial demands' for medical bills nod, online system in place now: Minister

Nagpur, Dec 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Friday admitted that government employees were facing "financial demands" while submitting medical bills for approval and said all such documents will now be accepted online.

Raising the issue in the assembly, Bhaskar Jadhav (Shiv Sena-UBT) claimed a diary recovered from the office of the district surgeon at (state-run) CPR Hospital in Kolhapur recorded details of money allegedly sought for posting staff on duty and clearing medical bills.

To this, Abitkar told the house he had himself approved the transfer of the surgeon concerned and directed strict action against him.

The minister said he had taken note of the incident at government-run CPR Hospital highlighted by Jadhav and ordered an inquiry after receiving complaints.

"This matter is not limited to Kolhapur. It is a serious issue for the entire state. There are irregularities in issuing medical certificates and government employees are troubled by financial demands for medical bills," Abitkar told the house.

The health department has decided to shift to an online system for receiving all medical bills to address these concerns, the minister added. PTI ND RSY