Noida man dies of Covid, family gets ₹14 lakh bill

AS PER THE FAMILY, THE MAN WAS ADMITTED TO FORTIS HOSPITAL, NOIDA ON JUNE 7 AND WAS ON VENTILATOR FOR 15 DAYS

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has assured to “look into the matter” after a family alleged that a private hospital handed them a bill for ₹14 lakh for the treatment of a Unani doctor who died of Covid-19 on Sunday.

According to the family, the man was admitted to Fortis Hospital, Noida on June 7 and was on ventilator for 15 days. They also claimed that the hospital gave them the body only after they signed an undertaking on a stamp paper that they will pay the charges.

In a statement, Fortis said, “The family of the patient was informed about the treatment details at every step and was also counselled about the criticality of the patient… The details have been submitted to the CMO office as well. Our transparent billing process ensured that the family of the patient was kept informed about the expenses incurred during the treatment. There is no discrepancy in the billing process in this case.”

Suhas LY, district magistrate Gautam Budh Nagar, said: “We are looking into the matter and it seems that the media reports about the charges levied by the private hospital are not verified. The health team had been asked and they will look into the matter.”

Asked if the district administration has imposed a cap on the treatment charges for Covid-19, the DM replied that charges are based on the ‘self-regulations’ and different guidelines including those of central government.