The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has registered a case against a patient who produced fake documents to claim free treatment at Fortis Hospital in Vashi.
NMMC and Fortis Hospital have entered into an agreement to provide free treatment to 800 patients every year. They have to be referred by the civic body and belong to a lower income category.
In October 2016, Jaydas Mhatre, a resident of Kukshet village in Nerul, produced a fake certificate hsowing his annual income as ₹80,000 to claim free treatment for his son, Makrand. The actual cost of treatment was ₹9 lakh.
NMMC Health Officer Ramesh Nikam said the civic body learnt recently that they had been cheated. Mr. Nikam said, “A citizen came forward and informed us that Mhatre had an annual income of more than ₹3 lakh. Using RTI, the Health Committee found out that information was true. The chairman of the Health Committee forwarded all documents proving Mhatre’s actual income. Using the documents we registered a complaint with the Vashi Police Station. Every month, Fortis Hospital sends us a report on the total expenditure incurred for the treatment of patients referred by the NMMC.”
Accused cornered
The NMMC then summoned Mhatre to give an explanation for his actions. When he could not give a satisfactory reply, Dr. Vasant Mane from the NMMC’s Health Department filed a case of cheating against Mhatre at Vashi police station.
A police officer said, “We have registered the case and are investigating further. The person is yet to be arrested. We are also investigating if anyone from NMMC helped Mhatre take advantage of this service meant for people belonging to the lower income group.”
