Regulatory panel slaps Rs 50,000 fine on hosp for overcharging

Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Friday asked Narayana Memorial Hospital to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the family members of one Biplab Basu who died at the hospital at the age of 75. The WBCERC found that the patient was overcharged by the hospital.

Basu, a resident of Naktala, was admitted to the hospital with Covid and other comorbidities and was cured and released.

Later, the patient was again brought to the hospital with Parkinson's. The family members said that the patient died of pneumonia. They are looking for an explanation as to how could a patient admitted with Parkinson's eventually die due to pneumonia.

The Commission has, however, said that the medical negligence has to be probed by the medical council. While going through the bills, the Commission found that the hospital

had charged the patient exorbitantly flouting the guidelines issued by it earlier. It has directed the hospital to pay the compensations.

Incidentally, in a similar incident, the WBCER earlier this month imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the CMRI Hospital

for violating the advisories that were earlier issued by the Commission to all the private hospitals.

Monalisa Bhattacharya, a resident of Sainthia in Birbhum, was admitted to the hospital on December 31 with kidney-related ailments. The patient had been under treatment at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) for 7 to 8 days and the family members had shifted the patient to another hospital after 15 days. After going through the bills, the WBCERC found that the hospital had charged the patient exorbitantly and the advisories sent by the Commission were not properly followed.