LNJP asks patients to get tests done from pvt labs

NEW DELHI: It appears that the efforts of Delhi government’s health department to ensure free diagnostic services and medicines to patients have gone down the drain as a premier hospital is unwilling to follow the same. The patients, coming at LNJP Hospital for treatment, have alleged to avail services from private labs outside the hospital paying hefty charges instead.

Ragubhir Singh, a resident of Aligarh, suffering from stomach infection was admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital and he was asked to get some blood tests done, including Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc and Manganese.

The prescribed blood investigations which were supposed to be done free of cost inside the hospital lab, had to be done from a private lab outside LNJP for Rs 3000, exposing the claim that all the diagnostic services at the hospital are free.

Interestingly, the private lab technician came to the hospital to take Ragubhir’s blood sample and delivered the report at the hospital.

“We have come over here after hearing about the free treatment policy at Delhi hospitals but here things are very different in reality,” said Manvir Singh, Ragubhir’s younger brother. He added: “We have already spent lots of money for my brother treatment in Aligarh and from there we had been referred to LNJP, Delhi.”

Following the incident, Millennium Post contacted the private lab technician who revealed the information on term of anonymity. He said: “There are investigations which need to be done at the earliest in emergency cases. So, hospital staff calls us and we get all the samples and send them at the earliest.”

A hospital staff confirmed that tests are referred in cases only in cases where the patient has to undergo an operation and there is an emergency. “So, we informed the patient about this process because the investigation in the hospital lab takes a lot of time.” When asked about the government’s free diagnostic investigations that are conducted free of cost, she refused to comment.

Contrary to the admission of the staff, Dr J C Passey, Medical Director, LNJP, claimed that all the diagnostics and tests are done in the hospital free of cost. “We have given clear instructions to all the senior doctors. If this thing is happening in the hospital, I will have to find out and stop this activity,” he said.