The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission on Thursday ordered several private hospitals to pay compensation to patients or their families.
Woodlands Hospital was asked to pay Rs 50,000 to a patient’s family for putting pressure on them to shift the patient, who was critically ill and on ventilation, to another hospital after the person tested positive for Covid, retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the chairperson of the commission, said.
The hospital argued they were not treating Covid patients in June, when this incident happened. But the commission said that was no excuse for the hospital to ask the family to shift the patient.
“It was not right for the hospital to force the family to take the patient away,” said Banerjee.
The commission asked Fortis Hospital to offer a discount of Rs 50,000 to a woman who underwent orthopaedic surgery there. Banerjee said the hospital had charged the patient more than the “package amount”. The insurance company refused to pay the bill.
“The insurance company said some of the tests were done unnecessarily and the patient’s stay at the hospital was also prolonged,” said Banerjee. “The bill was more than the amount mentioned in the package under which the woman was admitted. We have asked the hospital to offer a discount of Rs 50,000.”
Divine Nursing Home was asked to offer a discount of Rs 2.31 lakh on a bill of Rs 5.81 lakh to a 63-year-old person who was treated in the hospital for Covid for 16 days in August. “The hospital had overcharged in almost all segments. It also did not offer discounts on medicines and consumables. We have asked them to take Rs 3.5 lakh of the bill amount,” he said.
The commission also asked Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals to withdraw criminal cases against a patient and his father who could not pay Rs 2.87 lakh out of the Rs 9.87 lakh bill amount. The patient’s mother said her husband’s travel and tourism business had shut down during the lockdown and he took to hawking goods to run the family.
“The man’s son was first admitted to Fortis Hospital, where the treatment cost Rs 5 lakh. A surgery was required, for which the 21-year-old youth was admitted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals,” Banerjee said.
“The estimated cost of the surgery was between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh, but the family was handed a bill of Rs 9.87 lakh on the day of discharge,” said Banerjee. The patient stayed at Apollo for over 18 days.
“We have asked the hospital to withdraw all criminal complaints and also not press for the remaining amount. The family has paid Rs 7 lakh,” Banerjee said.
A penalty of Rs 5,000 was imposed on AMRI Salt Lake for not offering a patient a discount on medicines and consumables. R Flemming Hospital was asked to offer a discount of Rs 37,000 to a patient party.