Srinagar: A doctor was suspended on Saturday after an inquiry into alleged large-scale procedural irregularities at the Anantnag Government Medical College revealed that nearly 50 per cent of his evaluated patients who underwent advanced cardiac surgical procedures did not even require them.
The Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Department revealed fraudulent insurance claims, patient exploitation and unnecessary procedures on healthy patients, naming Dr Syed Maqbool, a Cardiologist at GMC Anantnag, for alleged large-scale procedural irregularities and manipulation of official medical records.
The incident revolves around an alleged pacemaker implantation scam involving 103 cardiac patients, with experts finding out that 27 out of 55 patients who underwent the procedure had normal heart function and “there was absolutely no medical reason to perform such procedures”.
“Pending enquiry into his conduct, Dr Syed Maqbool Ahmad Shah, Associate Professor, Cardiology presently deputed to Government Medical College, Anantnag, is hereby placed under suspension, with immediate effect in terms of Rule 31 of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956,” an order, issued by Commissioner/Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, M Raju, said.
The order stated that during the period of his suspension, the doctor shall remain attached in the office of Government Medical College, Jammu.
State Health Minister Sakina Itoo said the inquiry against the cardiologist was initiated after receiving several complaints. “The government had initiated the inquiry after receiving several complaints so that facts come to the fore. After the inquiry, when certain findings came out, we suspended him. We have asked him to explain his position,” Itoo told reporters in Kulgam.
“Today, a suspension order has been issued. I appeal to every doctor not to make compromises with the people’s lives. The government gives you a salary. This job is for the people, to help in patient care,” she said, adding, “the government is on it. Action has been taken, and whatever needs to be done will be done”. The charges against the doctor include falsification of records, system-wide fraud, exploiting patients, and colluding with private vendors, unauthorised medical interventions and conduct highly unbecoming of a public servant.
“You booked and claimed 103 cases on the Transaction Management System (TMS) under the ‘Dual Chamber Pacemaker Implantation’ package (Code: MC016A). However, physical records prove you have actually performed Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing (LBBAP). This intentional misrepresentation was designed to siphon public welfare funds from the PMJAY/SEHAT scheme under a false clinical pretext,” the charges levelled by the department said. The inquiry revealed that the doctor performed highly advanced and invasive LBBAP procedures on patients without any clinical justification.
An independent expert evaluation showed that, of 55 suspected LBBAP cases, 27 patients (49 per cent) had completely normal left ventricular function and a wide QRS morphology. Performing patients shows a complete disregard for patient safety and professional ethics for personal motives, the HME memorandum issued to the cardiologist alleged. The findings emerged during an expert audit conducted after the State Health Agency noticed an unusual spike in LBBAP-related claims from the institution in December 2025.
Maqbool has been directed to submit his written defence within a week, failing which disciplinary proceedings against him shall be held ex parte. The inquiry has uncovered allegations of direct financial exploitation of PMJAY-SEHAT beneficiaries.
“That you directly violated the absolute ‘cashless and free’ mandate of the PMJAY/SEHAT scheme and forced vulnerable patients to pay out-of-pocket expenses for procedures done within a government facility,” the department accused the doctor.
Citing a case, it said, the patient was coerced into paying Rs 70,000 to a private company. “This financial exploitation of public beneficiaries constitutes severe criminal misconduct,” it added. It also alleged that the doctor “deliberately bypassed” the institutional supply chain network of GMC Anantnag.
“You failed to source required medical hardware through the mandatory path (vetted by the PMJAY section, countersigned by the Casualty Medical Officer, and fulfilled by the AMRIT Store). Instead, illegally collaborated with private external vendors, effectively destroying hospital transparency, quality control, and accountability protocols,” it said. The inquiry alleged that the mandatory approvals, quality-control safeguards and procurement protocols were ignored.
Certain procurement records were not made available during the anti-fraud investigation, giving rise to concerns about possible concealment of evidence, it said. Giving the background of the investigation, the memorandum said that the State Anti-Fraud Unit (SAFU) received multiple alerts from field teams regarding suspected out-of-pocket expenditures incurred by poor patients at GMC Anantnag.
“A preliminary desk audit of the Transaction Management System (TMS) data flagged a pattern under the Cardiology speciality. It revealed that 103 cardiac cases were blocked under the Dual Chamber Pacemaker package,” it said.
It added that on December 19, 2025, the SAFU team conducted an unannounced on-site investigation at GMC Anantnag. The team interviewed the Medical Superintendent, Cath Lab In-charge, Accounts Section, and the In-charge of the AMRIT Store.
The hospital protocol requires the cardiologist to generate a requisition and the accused completely ignored the institutional process. “He sourced hardware directly from private vendors. To hide this activity, the local AMRIT Store management has actively withheld procurement data since April 2025. This deliberate obstruction of an official anti-fraud investigation points toward systemic collusion,” it alleged.
The audit team randomly sampled patient files, and while in the online system, all operational notes filed by Maqbool claimed that standard Dual Chamber Pacemaker implantations were done; physical verifications revealed a completely different reality, it said. Specifying a case of a patient named Peer Rafiq Ahmad, the memorandum said a direct beneficiary audit and home visit confirmed that the patient was forced to pay Rs 70,000 out of his own pocket.
“The payment was made directly to a private firm, M/s SSB Combination, via an invoice generated outside the hospital system. The patient explicitly confirmed that Maqbool performed the procedure and directed the external financial transaction,” it said.
Cross-referencing the online TMS claims against the physical Cath Lab Procedure Register revealed that the accused actually performed LBBAP while claiming funds for a Dual Chamber Pacemaker.
As the LBBAP cases showed an alarming spike, the State Health Agency (SHA) referred the data to the Head of Department (HoD) of Cardiology at SKIMS, Soura, for an expert review, the HME department said. “There was absolutely no medical reason to perform LBBAP on these 27 individuals. Consequently, the SHA rejected these fraudulent claims,” it added.
The technical experts at SKIMS confirmed that Maqbool committed “flagrant procedural misrepresentation”. “He logged false descriptions in the official TMS system, bypassed the government supply chain, and extorted money from patients who were legally entitled to free healthcare. These actions show a complete failure of devotion to duty, a gross abuse of official position, and serious medical malpractice,” they said.
The memorandum said that the doctor exhibited conduct unbecoming of a Government servant, failed to maintain devotion to duty, and committed grave misconduct warranting disciplinary action, including termination from the service. The government has proposed to initiate departmental proceedings against Maqbool in terms of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules 1956.
