Patna, Sept. 6: Frustrated over alleged poor treatment, inflated bills and rudeness of officials, relatives of a patient admitted to a private hospital in the city today disrupted traffic on busy SP Verma Road for more than two hours and lodged an FIR against the health hub authorities.
The security guards of Ruban Emergency Hospital today allegedly assaulted the relatives of the patient, Mehtab Alam (45), when they went to meet the chairman of the health hub, Colonel Dr A.K. Singh, at his chamber with a request to release Alam.
Three representatives of the patient, including Muzamil Alam, Shahnawaz Arzu and Gazala Nadra, sustained injuries.
Infuriated over the incident, the relatives of the patient blocked SP Verma Road, leaving several commuters stranded. They also lodged an FIR at Gandhi Maidan police station against the hospital authorities. Superintendent of police (rural) Vivek Kumar confirmed that an FIR had been lodged against the hospital authorities.
Colonel Singh had a different version to present, though. He told The Telegraph: “Tension erupted after 10 to 15 youths, claiming themselves to be relatives of Alam, created a scene in my chamber demanding waiver of the pending bills.”
Alam was admitted to Ruban Emergency Hospital on August 5 after he complained of breathing problem. A relative of the patient, said: “When Alam was admitted, his condition was stable. But during the course of treatment his condition deteriorated and was put on ventilator.”
The aggrieved family members claimed that the hospital had charged them more than Rs 8 lakh for treatment of Alam but his condition hardly improved. They said they had been requesting the hospital authorities to release Alam so that he could be shifted to a better health hub in New Delhi. But the hospital authorities were not ready to release Alam unless all pending bills were settled.
The family members of Alam said they owed only Rs 60,000 to the hospital and were ready to clear the amount provided the hospital authorities allowed them to shift him to ano- ther hospital.
Later in the day, Alam was released from Ruban Emergency Hospital after the police intervened in the case.
