Patna: A scuffle broke out between relatives of a patient and hospital staff at Ruban Memorial Hospital on Wednesday with relatives blaming the hospital of charging exorbitant medical fees.

The family members alleged that the hospital administration, in the name of treatment of Nawal Kishore Prasad Rai, had taken Rs 4 lakh and were demanding Rs 1 lakh more for his discharge. Rai, 74, who was admitted at Ruban Memorial Hospital at Patliputra Colony a week back for kidney aliment, passed away on Wednesday morning.

Rai's nephew Anil Kumar said: "A week back, my uncle was admitted at Ruban Memorial Hospital after complications in his kidney. He was undergoing treatment and was put on dialysis. However, the doctors attending him a few days back told us Rai had complications in his intestine too and needed surgeries. The hospital, in the name of surgery, asked us to deposit Rs 4 lakh."

Anil claimed that on Wednesday morning, the hospital staff handed him a list of medicines. When Anil reached the ward with medicines where his uncle was admitted, he noticed that Rai's heartbeat was showing a flat line on the cardiac monitor. When Anil enquired why they had asked for medicines when the patient was dead, the hospital staff lost their cool and asked him not to interfere. However, after half-an-hour, the patient was declared dead.

Anil said: "The hospital staff demanded Rs 1 lakh from us for handing over the body which we resisted." Soon, a scuffle broke out between family members and hospital authorities. While the family members were not ready to give the money, the hospital authorities were not ready to hand over the body without depositing the pending money. Sources said the brawl was controlled only after police intervened.

However, the hospital administration claimed that the patient's family members were blackmailing the hospital after Rai's death.

Ruban Memorial Hospital managing director Dr Satyajit Singh said: "The patient's family members were blackmailing the hospital administration in name of a fee waiver. We refused to admit the patient as he was brought to hospital in a critical condition but as he had a reference from a person known to us, we admitted him."

Singh, who set up Ruban Memorial Hospital in 1996 after returning from London, said: "The patient's total bill was Rs 2.6 lakh and we were ready to give them a waiver on medical expenses but the family members were demanding a higher waiver."

Singh claimed that such type of incidents are not new at the hospital as some people create ruckus blaming the hospital of charging a higher rate or for medical negligence after the death of the patient.