The income tax department of India has uncovered a multi-crore scam involving doctor referral fees in several medical establishments here. The department also unearthed several methods whereby doctors are paid for advising medical tests.
The commission varied from lab to lab, but the average ranged between 35 per cent of the fee for an MRI test and 20 per cent for a CT scan and other tests. The payments were disguised as marketing expenses.
In raids at two IVF clinics and five diagnostic centres, as well as the residence of a well-known fertility expert, I-T officers recovered vast amounts of cash, jewellery, bullion and foreign currency, and discovered secret foreign bank accounts. The office of the director general of income tax (investigation) of Karnataka and Goa region confirmed the searches resulted in the seizure of over Rs 1.4 crore in cash and over 3.5 kg of jewellery and bullion.
The department said the laboratories searched had declared previously undisclosed income to the tune of Rs 100 crore, adding that the referral fee in the case of a single lab exceeded Rs 200 crore. Sources said the referral fees were paid in many ways, including cash and disguised as professional fee. Some labs employed agents to distribute money to doctors in envelopes.
These agents reportedly inserted a small chit in the envelopes with details of a patient referred by a doctor, doctor’s name, tests done, amount billed, commission to be given to the doctor, and the date of test.
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