Patna: A scam involving alleged embezzlement of nearly Rs 45 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has surfaced at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna.The hospital administration has lodged an FIR at Shastri Nagar police station against four outsourced employees — Amarjeet Raj, Chandan Kumar, Saket Kumar and Abhishek Kumar — accusing them of fraud and financial irregularities.According to the complaint filed by chief administrative officer Prafull Ranjan, the accused allegedly removed eligible patients from the Ayushman Bharat scheme, treated them on a cash basis and misappropriated the money collected from them. The alleged irregularities reportedly continued for the last three to four months.The matter came to light after a patient complained that cash had been taken for treatment despite eligibility under the scheme.Following the complaint, the hospital constituted an inquiry committee. Its preliminary investigation reportedly found prima facie evidence of serious financial irregularities and misuse of govt funds involving the four employees.All four workers, deployed through an outsourcing agency, have been removed from duty with immediate effect. The outsourcing company has refunded the entire amount to the institute.Police have started investigating the financial transactions, while the health department will conduct a separate inquiry to identify lapses and recommend preventive measures.