31 August,2010 07:58 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar and Alifiya Khan
Conmen on prowl, police asks city hospitals and patients to be extra vigilant
For those who think the only robbery that happens in hospitals is the hefty bill, here is an update. Hospitals are turning out to be the favourite hangout of conmen who rob patients by posing as hospital staff or relatives of other patients.
Four such incidents have taken place this year in the city, prompting the police to issue a directive last week to all hospitals that they should up their security and report all offences of the nature.
What is worse is that hospitals say the police figures are just the tip of the iceberg; at least two such incidents happen in a month in hospitals but not all are registered as complaints with the police.
Bomi Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic, said it was difficult to control conmen owing to the heavy inflow of patients.
"These incidents are really going up alarmingly and are quite a worry for us. Patients tell us they have been approached by people posing as hospital staff who said they could get their bill reduced if they gave them some money," said Bhote. "Actually, these people are thieves who flee with the cash. At times, conmen have walked into wards and asked for money saying they needed it for medicine."
At KEM Hospital, Chhaya Nagargoje (45), a patient with chikungunya, was asked to take off her mangalsutra for an X-ray by a crook. "A man is his late 20's posing as hospital staff asked my wife to lie down and after taking her mangalsutra, pricked needles into her neck. She became unconscious and he leftu00a0 with her valuables," said Chhaya's husband Dharma.
Deputy medical superintendent of KEM hospital, Dr Shubhada Sharma, said thieves had struck many times at the hospital. "In one case, thieves posing as a patient's relative befriended a man whose kid was admitted, got his number and called him at night, saying they were doctors and wanted to give a costly injection to save his son, so he should deposit money in an account by morning," said Sharma. "The man gave them Rs 20,000, only to realise he had been had."
Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital, said video cameras had been installed at various spots after thefts. "From now, no people will be allowed inside unless their face is captured by a camera," said Kelkar.
On August 12, cancer patient Alka Garud was sedated and her mangalsutra stolen by a man saying he wanted to take her blood sample.
Additional Commissioner of Police Prabhat Kumar (south region), who issued the instructions to hospitals to be vigilant, said all hospitals had to work on security.
"Patients in hospitals are gullible as they are under a lot of stress and crooks take advantage of this," said Kumar. "It is time not only for patients and relatives to be more vigilant, but also hospitals."
