GGH duty doctor faces allegations of collecting ₹22 lakh from black fungus patient

Patient’s husband to lodge police complaint; Departmental inquiry under way.

A duty doctor in the Government General Hospital, Vijayawada, had allegedly duped a black fungus patient’s husband to a tune of ₹22 lakh in the guise of providing ‘Lyophilized Amphotericin B’. The patient Pottem Vijayalakshmi of Kadapa was admitted to GGH on May 29 and was treated for black fungus till June 17 until she moved out as the condition deteriorated. She later died on July 7. The incident came to light recently after a complaint with all bank deposit transactions to the doctor’s account was lodged with the GGH superintendent by the patient’s husband Pottem Raghukulesa Saran, a retired government junior lecturer. Mr. Raghukulesa alleged that during the treatment in GGH a total of ₹22.8 lakh was paid to duty doctor Thota Vani Supriya who promised them of supply of the anti-fungal injection at ₹70,000 to ₹1 lakh each which was allegedly not available in the hospital. The patient’s son P. Anil also sent money via online transfer to the doctor, they allege.