Hospitals can't charge registration fee, holds Consumer court while slapping Rs 13,000 compensation on Apollo Hospitals
Hyderabad: Observing that the hospitals are not authorized for collecting registration fee or any data from the patients as a pre-requisite for providing service, a consumer court in Hyderabad has recently held the Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills guilty of the same and directed it to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to the complainant. The hospital has been further asked to pay another 3,000 Rupees towards litigation cost.
Further, the Commission has given instructions to the Director of Public Health to ensure that this practice of collecting registration fees from the patients stops in all the hospitals across Hyderabad.
"Such collection of the registration fee from the patients should be discretionary and left open to the patients. It cannot be made compulsory as the condition precedent for obtaining an appointment/consultation of a doctor. The patient who is being treated by a particular doctor in a particular hospital may not consult him again. Therefore, the hospitals are not authorized for the collection of such registration charges or any data from the patients as a pre-requisite for availing the services of a doctor," the consumer court was quoted observing by News Meter.
Back in 2019, the GST sleuths had already charged the Apollo Hospital with a fine of Rs 50,000 regarding this matter.
The complainant, who is an anti-corruption activist had filed the complaint back in 2019 when he had visited the hospital in June that year for consulting a doctor for his mother. However, before making an appointment, the receptionist had insisted that the complainant pays an amount of Rs 200 as a registration fee apart from Rs 900, the cost of the consultation.
When the complainant had asked if paying the Registration Fee was necessary before making any consultation, the receptionist had allegedly informed him that it was a policy and consequently, the complainant paid the entire amount of Rs 1,100. However, when he found the bill he noted that the bill was issued only against the consultation fee of Rs 900 and there was no receipt of Rs 200, i.e. the registration fee.
In response, the complainant was informed that he would be given a receipt on the next visit. The complainant had then asked the why the hospital was charging such fees and whether they had any authorization for the same. When he was informed that it was a policy he enquired if there was any mechanism to register the complaints of the patients, and in response, he was told that they do not maintain any such registers and was also asked to fill a feedback form.
When the complainant moved to the consumer court, the Apollo Hospital in its submission had stated that such registration is done once in a whole lifetime for necessary demographics and during registration, the patients get a unique number (UHID). Next time when the patient visits the hospital, any such registration is not necessary, submitted the hospital.
It was further argued on the behalf of the hospital that through that UHID, all the patient transactions, visits, admission, and patient documents are tracked and the process is essential for assessing the patients, investigating, and for the purposes of storage and retrieval of patient documents and information.
In fact, the hospital in its submission further claimed that when the patients visit them in an emergency condition, they are not insisted for paying such registration fees.
Taking note of all the documents and relevant materials on record, the Commission observed that Apollo Hospital had claimed that the Registration Fee was charged on the behalf of the hospital for collecting data from patient and thereafter uploading it for further treatment.
News Meter quoted the Commission as observing:
"Such collection of the registration fee from the patients should be discretionary and left open to the patients. It cannot be made compulsory as the condition precedent for obtaining an appointment/consultation of a doctor. The patient who is being treated by a particular doctor in a particular hospital may not consult him again. Therefore, the hospitals are not authorized for the collection of such registration charges or any data from the patients as a pre-requisite for availing the services of a doctor."
Further taking note of the absence of the Director of Public Health despite multiple notices, the commission noted,
"They are having authority to supervise / monitor and take stringent action against the management of the hospital for violation of the mandatory provisions under the Clinical and Establishment Act. It is most unfortunate that in spite of notice from this Commission, they chose not to turn up."
Finally, the consumer court directed the Apollo Hospital to pay Rs 13,000 in total as compensation in total and instructed the Director of Public Health that such practice of collecting registration fee from patients stops in the Hyderabad-based hospitals.
Sharing the news on his Twitter Handle, the complainant wrote, "Glad to share @HospitalsApollo (Jhills Hyderabad) has been found guilty, by Hyd Consumer Court for Restrictive Trade Practice for insisting on 200/- registration fee, case filed by me, from when I visited in June 2019. @drgsrao has been instructed to ensure this is stopped in Hyd across hospitals, This hospital was also issuing receipts without GST for which 50k penalty was already levied by @Gsthyd1 in 19. I have been awarded 13k in total as compensation, while penalty to be submitted to the court was not levied. This ridiculous fee has to STOP now!"
While commenting on the matter, the complainant told News Meter, "I am disappointed that the hospital was not slapped with any penalty. I had requested the court to levy Rs 10 lakh penalty. The hospital probably made millions through their restrictive trade practice, yet no penalty was levied on them. I hope the consumer courts do more than just issue compensation to victims and also levy significant financial penalties on the culprits."
