Private hosps told not to detain dead bodies due to non payment

West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Wednesday directed private hospitals not to detain dead bodies due to nonpayment.

The development has taken place after the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) in a letter urged the state to ensure certain aspects relating to handling of dead bodies. The NHRC sent the letter to the state health department which in turn delivered the letter to the WBCERC that takes care of the private hospitals.

The WBCERC told the private hospitals that after the death certificate was signed, the concerned hospital will have to give discharge no matter if the patient party fails to clear the dues. Dead bodies have to be handed over to their family members. The commission told the private hospitals that they can seek help from the commission but no dead bodies can be detained. Even during Covid time, allegations surfaced against some private hospitals which detained dead bodies due to nonpayment of bills.

The WBCERC also took a stock of the existing mortuary infrastructure in the private hospitals. The big scale private hospitals have 2-6 mortuaries to preserve the dead bodies.

The NHRC urged the state to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure in the hospitals to preserve dead bodies. During a meeting held by the WBCERC with the private hospitals, it came to the light that small scale nursing homes do not have mortuaries.

The big scale hospitals have agreed that they will preserve the dead bodies of the small nursing homes. The commission has formed an expert committee which will fix nominal charges for the preservation of the dead bodies. If the deceased’s family members fail to provide the fees, the hospitals have to bear the cost, the Commission said.

The WBCERC also urged the private hospitals to ensure free transportation for dead bodies up to 15 km in case of Swasthya Sathi patients. In case of other patients, the cost should be nominal, the commission observed.