Imphal, May 20 2009: Thirteen employees including the Cashier of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) have been suspended on alleged charge of diverting/misusing a large amount of money accrued as income from patients admitted to the premier medical institute of the North East region.

According to a reliable source, a large amount of income that should be generated from the laboratory tests including X-ray, MRI, CT scan as well as the bill receipt of admission tickets from Out Patients Department (OPD) had not been finding its way to the depository of the hospital for the last many years.

All the income generated from the investigation of the out-patients as well as in-patients are supposed to be deposited in the corpus fund of the hospital set up in the UBI branch located within RIMS campus on daily basis.

However, when the RIMS authorities checked the amount in the corpus fund recently, a great disparity was detected, thus raising suspicion on the possibility of diverting or misusing the amount, the source said.

On closer scrutiny, the needle of suspicion pointed at those employees who are responsible for issuing the OPD tickets and receipts of various laboratory tests, the source disclosed, adding that after verification of the matter RIMS authorities have suspended 13 employees including the Cashier from their services.

Informing that three more employees are also likely to be suspended, the source said RIMS authorities have started further investigating into the matter along with collecting all the receipt books.

Although it is not known exactly how long this financial fraud has been going on, the investigation of the RIMS authorities covers the last 7 to 8 years, the source said, while asserting that there would not have been any room for such financial mismanagement if the RIMS authorities had taken up the responsibility of checking the income of the hospital daily and auditing all financial matters in time.

On the income and the expenditure of the hospital, the RIMS authorities have been giving a free hand for the last many years, the source contended.

Even if it declines to comment on the amount of the income diverted in this manner, the source, however, pointed out that it is being looked into to find out whether the missing amount could be recovered from the gratuity of the 13 suspended employees after making them to resign as well as from the amount of the 6th pay arrears they are entitled to get.

Talking to The Sangai Express, one of the key figures among the suspended 13 employees, said all of them have admitted to the charges.

Disclosing that among the suspended employees, majority of them still have long years of service ahead, the accused key figure suggested that these young employees should be reinstated and the amount deducted from the monthly pay, GPF and the arrears of the 6th Pay.

As for those whose retirement are near, the amount can be recovered from their GPF, arrears of 6th Pay, Pension gratuity, leave salary, group term insurance, etc, the key figure said, adding that same proposal had already been placed before the RIMS authority.

Meanwhile, in place of the cashier who has been suspended from service over the issue, another cashier has been appointed who already assumed charges.

Talking to The Sangai Express, the new cashier informed that on an average a sum of Rs 80,000 is being collected from the OPD and the laboratory tests every day and the same is being deposited at the bank daily.

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