Odisha doctor arrested for taking bribe to clear health worker incentives

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance officers on Friday arrested a govt doctor in Angul district while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 49,000 from women community health officers (CHOs) in exchange for clearing their incentive payments.The 46-year-old accused was posted as a medical officer at the community health centre (CHC) in Kaniha. “Under the National Health Mission (NHM), CHOs are entitled to monthly incentives ranging between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000. However, the accused demanded around Rs 3,000 from each CHO to release their dues,” a vigilance officer said.When the CHOs expressed their inability to pay, he allegedly withheld their files, effectively stalling the disbursement of incentives.

The women lodged a formal complaint with Odisha vigilance last week. Acting on a tip-off, the anti-corruption wing officers laid a trap. As per the plan, 16 CHOs agreed to collectively hand over Rs 49,000 to the doctor.“During the planned operation at the CHC, we caught the doctor red-handed while accepting the bribe. Immediately after his arrest, simultaneous searches were conducted at his govt quarters in Kaniha, his wife’s rented residence in Rourkela and his office chamber,” the officer added.