In a startling revelation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exposed a bribery racket operating within the corridors of Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in Delhi. Sources close to the investigation have disclosed that a network of doctors and staff members at the government-run facility have been implicated in a scandal involving the solicitation of bribes from both patients and medical equipment suppliers.

Following meticulous probes and extensive searches spanning approximately 15 locations, including the hospital premises, the CBI swooped in, arresting a total of nine individuals. Among those apprehended are medical practitioners, hospital clerks, private intermediaries, and suppliers of medical equipment.

The CBI's initial information report (FIR), filed in recent days, sheds light on the identities of key players involved in the scandal. Notably, it names a professor and an assistant professor hailing from the cardiology department, a senior technical personnel, a nurse, two clerks, multiple private medical equipment supplier companies, and unnamed government employees.

This isn't the first instance of such malpractice within the healthcare sector in the nation's capital. Last year, the CBI made headlines when it arrested Dr. Manish Rawat, a prominent neurosurgeon at Safdarjung Hospital, along with four alleged accomplices. Their purported crime? Coercing patients into purchasing surgical equipment at inflated prices.

In the current investigation, figures prominently implicated in the bribery scandal at RML Hospital include Dr. Parvathgouda and Dr. Ajay Raj from the cardiology department, Rajnish Kumar from the Cath Lab, nurse Shalu Shama, and clerks Bhuwal Jaiswal and Sanjay Kumar Gupta. Additionally, representatives of medical equipment companies have also come under the CBI's radar.

All individuals implicated in the scandal now face charges under criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The FIR filed by the CBI paints a grim picture, alleging a widespread culture of corruption within RML Hospital. It suggests that doctors and staff members have been engaging in illicit practices, including the acceptance of bribes directly or indirectly through representatives of medical equipment companies.

The report further details instances of Dr. Parvathgouda and Dr. Raj allegedly demanding and receiving bribes from private suppliers in exchange for the use or promotion of their equipment. Additionally, it accuses clerk Bhuwal Jaiswal and nurse Shalu Sharma of demanding undue advantages from patients in return for expediting hospital procedures and investigations.

As investigations continue to unfold, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on the integrity of healthcare institutions in the capital, underscoring the pressing need for stringent measures to root out corruption and uphold the sanctity of medical ethics.