Nurse in Jaipur hospital arrested for taking bribe to arrange ICU bed for COVID patient

JAIPUR: Amid escalating Covid crisis, ICU beds are allegedly being sold off for hefty bribes at RUHS Hospital in Jaipur, the biggest facility in Rajasthan. The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Rajasthan arrested a male nurse deputed at Metro Mass Hospital after he was caught red-handed while taking Rs 23000 from the family of a Covid patient on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Ashok Kumar Gurjar, had allegedly colluded with two doctors at RUHS and had also demanded Rs 2 lakh to secure an ICU bed for a female patient. 

Gurjar was demanding the bribe amount to help a family get an ICU bed and other facilities for a 53-year-old patient at the government-run RUHS Hospital. Ashok had already taken Rs 95000 from the family before he was trapped by the ACB sleuths. He has been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigation is going on.

DG, ACB BL Soni said that the family of the patient had approached the agency on Friday following which a complaint was registered. Add SP, ACB Bajrang Singh verified the basic complaint and then a team was formed under the supervision of DSP Kamal Nayan.

Resident of Bayana town in Bharatpur district, the accused had originally demanded two lakh rupees from the family but eventually settled at Rs 1.3 lakh. He had allegedly established a nexus with two doctors at RUHS but the ACB is still in the process of verifying all the facts. The ACB teams are also carrying out searches at their residences and other places. 

In his initial interrogation, the male nurse has confessed that he was in touch with one Dr. Narendra who was originally at Metro Mass Hospital but is now working at RUHS. He had reportedly called Dr. Narendra who further put him in touch with a Dr Manish at RUHS. He has also revealed that once the woman patient was given an ICU bed at RUHS on May 3, Dr. Manish had immediately pocketed Rs. 50, 000. The male nurse had also claimed to the victim family that to get ICU beds, he has connections with people at the top and he needs a hefty amount as the same has to be shared with those in top positions.

He has been sent to judicial custody while the ACB will hold an interrogation of the doctors named by the male nurse on Monday.

The DG of ACB, BL Soni said that the agency is keeping an eye on those who are attempting to extort desperate and helpless family members of Covid-19 patients.