kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Manipal Hospital in Salt Lake as it failed to abide by the advisories earlier issued by the commission regarding the costs of the treatment.
The WBCERC also directed the hospital authorities to pay the amount to a local mental hospital under the CSR project. A girl was admitted to the hospital following an overdose of psychiatric drugs. The patient did not want to get admitted to the ICU while the hospital insisted on admitting her to the critical care unit. The family members of the patient told the commission that the hospital charged them Rs 44,000 after the patient had stayed 8 hours in the hospital. The hospital authorities during the hearing told the commission that the patient had stayed for 12 hours in the hospital. The WBCERC during the hearing found that the hospital had charged the patient exorbitantly and therefore it has asked the hospital to return Rs 11,281 to the family members.The WBCERC is set to give its judgment next Monday in connection with an incident in which an 18-year-old boy died following negligence on the part of a private hospital in Belgharia. The incident occurred in 2020 when the teenager, after being transferred from ESI Joka, the private hospital refused to admit and the patient was kept outside.
After the family members urged the hospital authorities, a Covid test was performed within 5 minutes and it was stated that the youth was Covid positive. The patient was again transferred. Earlier this month, the WBCERC had directed Samaritan Hospital on Elgin Road to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to a patient whose right hand had to be amputated eventually after the patient met with a road accident.