Panchkula private hospital fraudulently declares patient as COVID positive, FIR lodged

Panchkula: After a Panchkula-based private hospital fraudulently kept a patient in the COVID ward during the pandemic in January 2022, the hospital management has been booked for negligence and overcharging based on the patient's complaint.

A complaint was filed by Tarsem Chand, a resident of Sector 67, who approached the court, and subsequently, an FIR was registered. The complainant stated that he is diabetic and was taken to Ojas Hospital on January 6, 2022, because of chest heaviness caused by a cough.

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The hospital staff took him to the emergency ward, following which his blood pressure and oxygen level was checked and they were reported normal. The staff told the family members that Chand is COVID positive and sent the family members out of the room. 

The doctors then informed the family that the patient suffered a heart attack, his pulse was weak and was in a very serious condition. The doctors took consent from the family for arranging steroids. Further, the family was asked to leave the hospital and they refused to let in anyone to meet the patient. 

After becoming suspicious, Chand's son Saurabh Sharma checked his father's COVID report with the Panchkula health department, following which he got to know that the hospital had not shared the COVID positive details of Chand with the department and he did not really have COVID, as per a media report in the Times of India. Further, the hospital charged them around Rs 10 lakh, which the family had arranged from relatives.  

After this, Saurabh filed an RTI and collected the information related to his father’s COVID report from the health department. He said, "The RTI report clearly states that my father never had COVID and he was illegally kept in the COVID ward. He was also given Remdisivar vaccination without having COVID, which endangered his life." 

Back in 2021, the private hospitals of Panchkula, including the Ojas hospital were under scanner after they had overcharged the patients during their COVID treatment. The hospitals had to return an amount of Rs 20 lakh to patients which was charged in excess in the total bills. 

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