'Insured patients entitled to get rebate on cash payments'

Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Monday directed the Medica Superspecialty Hospital to file an affidavit with the Commission saying that they have made necessary changes in their software so that discounts can be given on the portion of pathological tests and medicine bills, which the patients pay from their own pockets.

The WBCERC expressed dissatisfaction after it came to know that the Medica Superspecialty Hospital denied discounts on the medicine and pathological bills. The Commission had earlier issued directives to all the private hospitals saying that discounts must be given on medicine bills, pathological tests if the patients pay in cash or even if they pay a portion of the total bill in cash

Discounts will not be applied on the portion of the bills which are paid by the insurance company. The Commission will ask all the private hospitals to file affidavit and declare that they will follow the same path.

Debjani Dutta, a patient from Assam was admitted to Media. The patient eventually died. The hospital had charged around Rs 14 lakh out of which around Rs 3 lakh was cleared by the insurance company, while the family members had to pay the rest amount of Rs 11 lakh. After going through the bill the Commission found that the hospital had not given discounts. Hospital claimed that as the patient had medical insurance they did not give the discount. This version of the hospital infuriated the Commission as it had already given directives in this regard. The hospital also claimed that they do not have a software which could allow the discount for those who partly pay in cash.

"We have asked the hospital to update their software within a month and file and affidavit mentioning that they have done so. We will again issue the order to all the hospitals shortly," said WBCERC Chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee.

The WBCERC directed the Director of Health Services to carry out a probe to ensure that maternity home situated on the second floor of KC Court building on Sadananda Road has any valid licence. The development comes after the residents of the multi-storeyed building filed a complaint saying that the maternity home treated Covid patients and around 15 bodies were brought down till May 2021 using a single lift. The nursing home claimed that they have licenses. The maternity home has been operating for almost 89 years. The residents initially moved the Calcutta Higher Court who had transferred the case to WBCERC.