Saryu Roy Blames ₹100 Crore Fake Bill Scam for RIMS Director’s Exit

Saryu Roy Blames ₹100 Crore Fake Bill Scam for RIMS Director’s Exit

Ranchi/Jamshedpur: Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy launched a scathing attack on the Jharkhand government, claiming that the humiliating exit of Dr. Rajkumar from the post of RIMS Director stems from his refusal to clear controversial bills of private diagnostic agencies – Medal and Health Map.

In an official statement, Roy noted that Medal and Health Map had submitted diagnostic bills totalling nearly ₹100 crore. Dr. Kameshwar Prasad had refused to clear the bills during his tenure, alleging that more than half of the amount billed was fraudulent. Roy also alleged that similar government pressure over these payments had previously forced out former director Dr. Kameshwar Prasad as well.

According to Roy, after Dr. Prasad’s departure, the Health Department began mounting pressure on the newly appointed director, Dr. Rajkumar, to clear the dues. Dr. Rajkumar resisted the orders based on administrative grounds. Health Department officials rejected this compromise, demanding that the RIMS Director unconditionally clear the dues. This dispute ultimately triggered Dr. Rajkumar’s resignation.

Roy accused the Jharkhand government of disregarding rules to run RIMS as a personal fiefdom, completely ignoring its status as an autonomous institution. He pointed out that the RIMS Act and RIMS Rules 2002 clearly state that the Governing Body holds supreme authority, limiting the government’s role to providing policy directives for efficient administration and medical advancement.

Roy highlighted that the previous Jharkhand health minister, Banna Gupta, inducted the Medal and Health Map into RIMS for pathological and microbiological testing without consulting the RIMS management. Current state health affairs are overseen by minister Dr. Irfan Ansari.

“The Crime Investigation Department (CID) must investigate the former minister and complicit officials,” Roy demanded. He questioned the legal basis for hiring these agencies against established guidelines.

The MLA urged the Chief Minister to launch a high-level inquiry into why three consecutive RIMS directors—Dr. D.K. Singh, Dr. Kameshwar Prasad, and Dr. Rajkumar were systematically forced out. He also called for an investigation into the role of former health minister Banna Gupta.