2 West Bengal hospitals directed to refund excess amount charged from patients

In the first case, the complainant, a resident of Darjeeling approached the commission through the help of a social organization in Darjeeling. As per Ramesh Mothay, an advocate who is part of the legal cell of the Foundation, the patient was admitted to Avlon Nursing Home at Matigara in Siliguri on 22 May, and underwent treatment for 20 days. The nursing home had handed them a bill of Rs 8,34,000. "Inflated rates were charged by the nursing home in such things like doctor consultation, MRPs of different medical supplies among other things", he added.

As per a recent media report by The Statesmen, the private hospital did not specified any type of tests but charged around Rs 42,000 for pathological tests alone. Moreover, around Rs 1,20,000, was charged as the doctor's fee while the bills for the medicines were was Rs 3 lakh.

There must be many such cases and we want to send a message across to the people that they can contact us and we will look into the matter and they could get similar relief," said Mothay. The daughter of the patient alleged overbilling and negligence on the part of the private hospital.

The Foundation's founder member Vikram Rai told the daily, "There have been many malpractices in the name of Covid treatment by private hospitals, but many people do not raise such issues."The Foundation pointed out that though no amount is enough to compensate for the loss of life, they wanted to send across a strong message that no such incidents would be tolerated.

The hospitals were previously directed by the state health department to initiate a 10 per cent discount on medicines or to allow the patients' families to buy them on their own. After considering the complaint, WBCERC has directed the hospital to pay Rs 2,34,000 as compensation to the patient.

In the second case, the state finance department filed a complaint after a 69-year-old patient underwent a treatment procedure under West Bengal Health Scheme in CMRI Hospital. According to the complaint, as per the scheme Rs, 1.2 lakh can be allowed for the procedure. However, the doctor suggested a costlier implant, due to which the cost increased to above Rs 4 lakh, reports Times of India.

The excess cost was borne by the patient, but the health commission found it to be unethical practice. The hospital on the other hand alleges the patient wanted a higher-quality implant. The commission finally asked the hospital to offer a 10% discount and pay back 35,000 rupees to the patient.