Probe ordered against pvt hosp for flouting Covid norms

kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has asked the Chief Medical Officer of health (CMoH) in Darjeeling to conduct a thorough probe against Avalon Hospital in Siliguri as it flouted the Covid guidelines and excessively charged a patient.

The WBCERC also alerted the hospital saying that stern action will be taken if similar incident is repeated. The CMoH will submit a report to the Commission on the basis of his observation.

One Kishore Tamang admitted his wife Bijoya Rai to the hospital on May 22. The patient had been under the treatment of the hospital for 20 days.

"The patient was charged Rs 8.34 lakh which we found absurd. We have spotted many irregularities in the billings and our Covid guidelines were not followed. The hospital had charged Rs 3 lakh as medicine bill, doctors bill around Rs 1.20 lakh. Pathology bill went up to Rs 42,000 but no details were given to the patient. We asked CMoH to carry out a probe and submit a report," said WBCERC chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee.

He also said the Commission directed the hospital to refund Rs 2.34 lakh in three installments. Even if the hospital charges Rs 30,000 per day the total bill would not exceed Rs 6 lakh. Hence, we have ordered the hospital to immediately refund Rs 2.34 lakh.

In another incident, the Commission has asked the Habra police station in North 24-Parganas to take steps against an ambulance driver who took Rs 22,000 for ferrying a patient from Habra to a private hospital at Park Circus.

One Manjima Sarkar booked a seat at a private hospital at Park Circus for her mother. An ambulance driver took the patient to the Park Circus from Habra against RS 22,000.

The distance between Habra and Park Circus would be a little above 50 km.

"We has asked the Habra police to take against against the driver if they find any punishable offence. They would have to submit a report to the commission mentioning what steps they take in this regard. Ambulance driver flouted Covid guidelines," Banerjee said.

Health World Hospital in Durgapur has been directed to return total Rs 18,492 as it charged a patient exorbitantly. In another incident Columbia Asia Hospital has been asked to return a patient Rs 18,000.