MillenniumPost
Bengal

Regulatory body directs private hosps not to take bed charges twice in a day

Kolkata: West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Wednesday issued a fresh advisory to all the private hospitals instructing them not to impose bed charges on a patient twice within 24 hours since admission.

The WBCERC received many complaints in the past where the patient party had accused the hospitals of charging twice in a day. The hospitals claim that they charge as per their 'checkout' timing. If a patient is admitted to the hospital in the middle of the night and eventually gets released or he/she dies before 24 hours since the admission, the hospital authorities take bed charges twice.

The Commission found it highly unethical. A hospital cannot charge a patient as a hotel does. Hence they have to take bed charges for the second day only after the 24 hours are spent since the time of admission of patients. As per the new advisory, if a patient is admitted at around 6 am on a particular day the bed charges for the second day would be applicable after 6 am of the next day. Meanwhile, the commission has already issued a clear guideline capping the charges of the private ambulances.

The WBCERC on Wednesday also appealed to the private hospitals to utilize the various specialists like eye, skin, plastic surgeons for Covid treatment if there is any further surge in the number of Covid patients during the festive seasons. The commission pointed out that as these specialists are not directly involved in Covid treatment they may remain free during the puja days.

"We would urge the private hospital authorities to prepare the database of various specialist doctors who can be contacted in case of an emergency. Those specialists who are not directly involved in Covid treatment are also requested to stay within the city so that their service can be solicited if there is any requirement. We would also urge the Covid recovered patients to come forward and give voluntary services to the private hospitals where they were earlier treated," said WBCERC Chairperson Justice (retired) Ashim Kumar Banerjee.

During a hearing on Wednesday, the WBCERC asked AMRI Hospital Salt Lake to return Rs 91,000 to the relatives of a 68-year-old Jharna Basu who was admitted to the hospital on August 14 this year with abdominal pain. She had cancer. An operation was carried out and later released. The patient complained about a leakage in her abdomen and she was again taken to the hospital. The doctor felt the necessity of another operation. The patient eventually died. The hospital had charged Rs 2.5 for the first operation and Rs 3.5 lakh for corrective operation. The patient family had to pay Rs 91,000. For alleged medical negligence, the patient party was urged to go to the medical council.

The Commission also asked Durgapur Health World Hospital to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 to a patient who was given cardiology related treatment when he was admitted for abdominal pain. In another case the same hospital was asked to pay compensation of Rs 10,000 to the patient party and another Rs 10,000 as penalty to the Commission as the hospital had wrongly sent the document of another patient.

The commission also fined CMRI Hospital of Rs 25,000 as it mistakenly inflicted an electric burn on a 23-year-old girl from an apparatus during a surgery. She had an injury on her bone on the right side. The Commission felt that the hospital should have been more cautious.

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