Action taken against 2 private facilities, 7 plaints under probe
The fleecing complaints are regarding room rent, medication, CT-Scan and laboratory tests
JALANDHAR/BATHINDA/AMRITSAR/PATIALA/MOHALI: Except for three instances in Jalandhar where a Level-2 Covid facility of a private hospital was cancelled, another one was made to refund some amount to a patient and an FIR was lodged against a private laboratory for overcharging, 10 other such complaints across districts are still being probed by the health department. The overcharging complaints are regarding room rent, medication, CT-Scan, laboratory tests, etc.
The Jalandhar administration suspended the Level-2 covid care facility (for new admissions) at Shamsher Hospital after a preliminary report submitted by the health authorities flagged malpractices and overcharging. The district administration has now recommended registration of an FIR against the hospital for overcharging and lapses in treating a patient who died.
Also, the administration recommended an FIR against a private lab, Atulaya Laboratory, for inflated Covid-19 test charges. Another private hospital, Tagore Hospital, agreed to refund the overcharged fee from patients. Jalandhar deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said the government was empowered to shut the hospital, or take control of the facility if the allegations of such misdeeds are proved.
The health authorities received seven complaints of
overcharging by private hospitals from Covid-patients in Bathinda.
Investigations in all cases are underway and the complainants have been asked to submit documentary evidence to buttress charges against the facilities.
Sources privy to investigations say, in at least one case, prima facie the patient was not diagnosed with coronavirus. “Records of the ailment of the patient are being checked before proceeding further,” says the source.
Officials say in three cases, patients died while two were discharged from the hospitals.
Ferozepur civil surgeon Dr Rajinder Raj said a complaint was received against a laboratory for overcharging for Covid test on Wednesday afternoon.
Mansa, Fazilka, Moga, Faridkot and Muktsar districts did not report any such complaint till Wednesday afternoon.
Bathinda civil surgeon Dr TS Dhillon said, “Our teams are in constant touch with the complainants and their families. We are in the process of getting documentary details from the aggrieved parties. Once the details are submitted, the hospitals
in question will be asked to record their statements. Reports will be submitted to the deputy commissioner for further action,” he said.
On May 23, the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) passed a resolution not to stand with any hospital or doctor found engaged in overcharging.
In Amritsar, the administration initiated an inquiry against a private hospital after the kin of at least one Covid patient alleged overcharging. It was alleged that Corporate Hospital on Batala Road charged ₹5,500 for a CT-Scan test against ₹2,000 fixed by the state government.
The Patiala district health department received one complaint against a private hospital in Patran town. Patiala civil surgeon Dr Satinder Singh said a complainant alleged that the hospital charged ₹30,000 extra for the Covid treatment.
100 plaints of fleecing at Mohali’s Mayo Hospital
Found guilty of black marketing 83 remdesivir injections, Mohali’s Mayo Hospital (now Mount Star Hospital) overcharged from at least 100 Covid
patients, the administration has found. Mohali deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan said the hospital has been charging around ₹20,000 a day from Covid patients even as the state government had capped ₹16,500 for ventilator support, ₹14,500 a day for a bed without life supporting machine. .
Also, a three-member committee
found the New Lifeline Hospital in Zirakpur guilty of overcharging and negligence in the treatment of a Covid patient, following which a case was registered.
(Inputs by Gagandeep Jassowal in Jalandhar, Vishal Joshi in Bathinda, Mandeep Kaur Narula in Amritsar, Navrajdeep Singh in Patiala, Hillary Victor in Mohali)