Ranchi: Jharkhand State Arogya Society (JSAS) on Friday night issued an alert to hospitals and public about fake calls claiming an investigation into ‘fake bills’ under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.JSAS executive director Chhavi Ranjan said they received a communique from a general insurance company about a call made to a hospital in Jharkhand warning of an investigation into fake bills. The company sought inputs from the health department, and an initial probe found the call was fake, an official statement from the health department said.“We appeal to all hospitals and the public that if any person calls posing as an officer, threatens or demands money citing fake bills or treatment, don’t not fall for it and immediately report it to the society office at Namkum,” Ranjan said.The health department also asked hospitals to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious calls to the nearest police station.Officials said a case involving fake calls to hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat-PM Jan Arogya Yojana in Jharkhand came to light, in which callers threatened a probe and demanded money.“A representative of a private hospital got a fake call on Wednesday night. The caller, identified himself as Ajay Agrawal, and claimed to be a nodal officer of PMJAY, stating that he works under the additional chief secretary of the health department. The caller said that a 256-page complaint has been received against the hospital, and a central team is going to visit for investigation. He then demanded bribe in the name of getting a copy of the complaint and managing the matter, and asked for the money to be transferred online,” said an official.He added, “The hospital management later found the call suspicious, following which a complaint was filed with the authorities concerned and the insurance company. It then sent an email to the JSAS seeking a probe. Preliminary probe suggests it was a fraud call.”
