Assam Private hospitals told to release bodies despite unpaid bills
Guwahati: The Assam cabinet, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has approved strict regulatory measures to prevent private hospitals and nursing homes from withholding the bodies of deceased patients over unpaid medical bills.
The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday. According to the media reports, the Chief Minister said the government had received multiple complaints about hospitals withholding bodies for days, effectively using them as leverage to compel families to clear pending medical bills.
Calling such situations 'against human dignity', he said, “You cannot keep a dead body as hostage. The cabinet has decided that if any nursing home tries to do that, their licence will be suspended for three to six months and they will be fined Rs 5 lakh,” reports TNIE.
The government has warned that in case of repeat violations, the offending institutions will face permanent licence cancellation and be blacklisted.
Additionally, all healthcare facilities are now required to release the body of a deceased patient to their family within four hours of death, unless the family requests the body to be kept in the morgue for a longer duration.
To ensure swift action, the Assam government will operationalize a 24x7 toll-free helpline number — 104 — where families can report non-release of bodies.
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According to NDTV, "Immediately, it will be escalated to the District Health Officer, local police, and hospital grievance cell. Upon receipt of a complaint, the designated authority must visit the site, release the body if wrongfully held, and initiate legal proceedings," Mr Sarma said.
He mentioned that the cabinet had approved the draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and regulatory guidelines to prevent coercive practices by private nursing homes in Assam, and that the incidents must be reported to the police and district health authorities within four hours.
