State to meet pvt hospitals over exorbitant rates

Sadhan Pande, the state Consumer Affairs minister, summoned the management of all the private hospitals and nursing homes in the state after receiving several complaints of patients being charged exorbitantly.

This comes a day after a mob went on a rampage in a private hospital in Ekbalpore following the death of a patient due to alleged medical negligence.

The CEOs or in-charges of all such hospitals and nursing homes will be meeting the state Consumer Affairs Minister at his office on February 22.

Pande said: "The department had been receiving several complaints against the healthcare centres alleging deaths due to negligence. There were also complaints of charging huge bills and fleecing of patients in different other ways."

There are several issues about which the representatives of the healthcare units will be asked by the minister.

"I will ask them that why repeatedly such allegations are being raised by different people against them. They will be asked whether really patients' family members were given inflated bills and whether patients are being admitted to the ICUs even if it is not necessary," he said.

"A questionnaire containing all such questions has been prepared," he said adding that it has also been alleged that patients' family members are asked whether there is any medical insurance as soon as a patient is taken to a private hospital and inflated bills are given if a person is having medical insurance. Calculations are made in a different way while preparing bills for those who do not have medical insurances and make payments in cash. "I will clarify all the issues from them," he said.

Expressing his annoyance over the issue, he said that the government had given them land to set up hospitals so that common people get benefitted. "It was not given just to take money from common people who are in distress when a dear one suffers from a disease and needs to get admitted to a hospital but to provide better health service to people," he said.