Munish sood
Mandi
The HimCare controversy has taken a fresh turn with BJP MLA and former IGMC Medical Superintendent Dr Janak Raj being questioned by the Vigilance department as investigators probe suspected financial irregularities of more than ₹200 crore in the government’s flagship health insurance scheme.
Dr Janak Raj appeared before the Vigilance authorities at their Shimla headquarters on Thursday. Investigators questioned him about payments released to hospitals under HimCare, financial and expenditure records, hospital claims and decisions taken during his tenure as Medical Superintendent of IGMC.
The questioning has brought the BJP legislator directly into a widening investigation that is now examining the functioning of the HimCare scheme at multiple levels. The probe is understood to be focusing not only on individual claims but also on the process through which private hospitals were empanelled, patients were treated, bills were raised and payments were ultimately released.
Dr Janak Raj, however, has denied any wrongdoing during his tenure at IGMC and said he would extend full cooperation to the investigation. He has maintained that there was no financial irregularity at the premier government hospital during his tenure.
Probe turns spotlight on private hospital empanelment
The Vigilance investigation is examining allegations that several private hospitals with inadequate infrastructure were brought under the HimCare network despite allegedly failing to meet prescribed requirements. Investigators are now matching hospital empanelment records with patient treatment data, bills, claims and payments to determine whether the scheme was misused and whether public money was released against questionable claims.
The suspected financial irregularities, estimated at over ₹200 crore, have raised questions over the financial controls and monitoring mechanisms governing the scheme.
Investigators are also examining departmental records and questioning officials, employees and representatives of private hospitals as they attempt to reconstruct the flow of funds and establish responsibility for any alleged violations.
Former minister may also face questioning
The investigation could widen further, with a former BJP minister reportedly likely to be questioned in connection with the case. Any such move would give the probe an additional political dimension and could intensify the confrontation between the ruling Congress and the BJP.
The HimCare case has already become part of a larger political battle in Himachal Pradesh, with the Vigilance department stepping up inquiries involving several opposition leaders.
Dr Janak Raj is the latest BJP legislator to face questioning. BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma, independent MLA Ashish Sharma and former legislators Hoshiyar Singh, K.L. Thakur and Chaitanya Sharma have also faced Vigilance questioning in separate matters.
For the government, the HimCare probe is now a test of whether alleged manipulation of a scheme designed to provide healthcare coverage to beneficiaries can be conclusively established. For the BJP, the questioning of one of its sitting legislators is likely to add to its criticism of what it describes as the government’s expanding Vigilance action against opposition leaders.
The investigation is continuing, with investigators expected to examine more records and question additional officials and individuals in the coming days.
