3 Panchkula hospitals took Rs 22.53 lakh extra from Covid patients

Amit Bathla

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Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 24

Three private hospitals forced as many as 19 Covid patients to pay a whopping Rs22.53 lakh more than the prescribed rates in the district during the second wave of the pandemic.

As per rates fixed by the Haryana Government last year, the patients were charged in excess ranging from approximately 70 per cent to 381 per cent.

Of the 19 cases, four pertained to Alchemist Hospital, three to Wings Hospital and 12 to Paras Hospital.

The deadline of June 23 is already over, and the administration has claimed that most of the complainants have got their refund.

On June 14, private hospitals had agreed to revise the “inflated” bills issued to Covid patients and refund the overcharged amount after a personal hearing with the district administration.

They had been given two days for reconciliation of bills and a week to refund the overcharged amount.

BB Singhal, member, Haryana State Pharmacy Council, and member of the district-level Covid bill monitoring committee, said, “In 19 cases cleared by the committee so far, 90 per cent of the refund amount has already been transferred to the bank accounts of Covid patients and their family members.”

“Only a few complainants are yet to receive the refund, that too because of non-completion of bank formalities. Those who shared their bank or cheque details have already got their overcharged money back,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, too, said a majority of the complainants had already got their refund. “The district administration has called a meeting of hospitals and Covid patients or their family members on June 29 for issuing admissible refund to those who are yet to receive it. Those who have already been refunded have also been invited to submit their feedback,” he said.

The bill monitoring committee was formed on the recommendation of Haryana Speaker and local MLA Gian Chand Gupta after several complainants approached him. The committee, led by ADC Mohammad Imran Raza, meets on a regular basis. It continues to receive complaints related to Covid bills since its inception late last month.