Patients welcome clinical regulatory body's move to put pvt hosps on a leash

Kolkata: Patients and their family members who had fallen victims of alleged 'overcharging' by some private hospitals in the city, have welcomed the move taken by the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) where it has imposed certain restrictions on the private hospitals.

"It has been of immense help for the patients who are visiting the private health establishments without having any health insurance as the WBCERC has instructed the private hospitals to admit patients and treat them

even if they fail to deposit the required amount at the time of admission. The private hospitals which are so reluctant to communicate with the patient party the billing on a daily basis will be forced to do that following the advice of the commission," a relative of a Covid patient said preferring anonymity.

He further added: "My uncle was infected with Covid and admitted to a private hospital in the city. He was charged nearly Rs 10 lakh for Covid treatment by the hospital. The family members were not even properly communicated about the daily development relating to the bills."

Private hospitals would not be entitled to demand more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or maximum amount of Rs 50,000 whichever is less at the time of admission, says the advisory issued by the Commission on Saturday. It further says that the hospitals have to provide daily billing updates to the patient party through SMS, email or whatsapp.