Jaipur: The health department under Rajasthan Govt Health Scheme (RGHS) has made self-verification by the doctor concerned mandatory on every prescription after alleged irregularities surfaced in claims linked to SB Mittal Memorial Heart and Critical Care Hospital, Sikar, which has been suspended from the scheme.The department has issued fresh instructions to strengthen credibility and accountability in medical consultations, prescriptions and reimbursement claims under RGHS. The move follows findings that, in some cases, beneficiaries’ prescriptions or slips were allegedly prepared and signed by junior residents or other staff without verification by the RGHS-affiliated registered medical practitioner, said Gayatri Rathore, principal secretary, health and medical education.Officials said scrutiny of claims and verification of documents led to action against the Sikar hospital. Rathore said the claim scrutiny process is being continuously strengthened and that monitoring by the team of RGHS Project Director Dr Nidhi Patel found some claims prima facie suspicious.A preliminary inquiry found that treatment details had been submitted in the name of Dr Alka Arya, BDS, registration number 12152, even after she had resigned from the hospital on April 20, 2026. She had reportedly been working as a medical consultant at another institution since June 2026. Despite this, hospital records showed her as the treating doctor for June 17, June 21 and subsequent dates, an RGHS official said.According to the inquiry, 315 treatment details were submitted in her name. These included 227 outpatient cases and 88 admitted patient and day-care cases. The claim amount in the 88 admitted and day-care cases was Rs 99,327, while the total claim amount across all 315 treatment entries was Rs 1.4 lakh.Of the admitted and day-care cases, 47 treatment details involving claims worth Rs 43,007 have already been rejected during inquiry. The remaining 41 such cases, involving Rs 56,320, are under examination.The RGHS administration issued a show-cause notice to the hospital and gave it an opportunity to respond. Since no reply was received within the stipulated period, SB Mittal Memorial Heart and Critical Care Hospital was suspended from RGHS.Under the new directions, every RGHS prescription must be personally examined, verified and certified with the signature and seal of the concerned empanelled doctor. No other person will be permitted to sign or authenticate a prescription on the doctor’s behalf.
