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A State-wide drive titled ‘operation white scan’ conducted by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) targeting veterinary hospitals across the State has detected widespread irregularities in the functioning of veterinary hospitals in the State. It has been found that some veterinary doctors have been selling medicines and vaccines illegally sourced from private medical stores through government hospitals at exorbitant rates.
The flash raid was conducted in selected 56 veterinary hospitals following a tip off that doctors had been illegally making money by holding private practices during duty time of the hospitals and giving away the medicines and vaccines provided by the government by fudging the stock registers maintained in the hospital.
The majority of the stock registers subjected to inspection in the hospitals didn’t maintain the addresses and details of the consumers who availed of the veterinary service. In some cases, when the VACB officials contacted the number provided in the stock register, some even revealed that they do not own any cattle. It has also been found that medicines not provided by the government have been stocked at Vakkom Veterinary Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram after illegally sourcing them from private stores.
Around 65 medicines have been found being distributed to consumers at Koduvalli Veterinary Hospital without being registered in the stock register. Besides, the officials have been evading duty in many places without logging in to the movement register maintained in the hospitals. The VCAB also unearthed expired medicines in many places. A total of ₹35,442 unaccounted money was seized from officials at different veterinary hospitals during the raid. A detailed report on the irregularities would be given to the State government for further follow-up action, said Vigilance Director T.K. Vinodkumar.
