Medical board to determine extent of medical negligence, subsequent punitive actionFIR against Zirakpur hospital for overcharging

Sanjay Bumbroo

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 18

A day after the submission of the inquiry report, an FIR has been registered against Lifeline Hospital, Zirakpur, for overcharging. The inquiry report has been forwarded to a medical board to determine the extent of medical negligence and the subsequent punitive action.

Disclosing this, Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu had announced that a state-level committee would soon conduct a detailed audit of the treatment of Covid-19 patients by private hospitals. He said anyone could file a complaint about fleecing on the 104 helpline number of the Health Department and action would be taken immediately.

Directing all private hospitals in the district to prominently display government-capped Covid treatment charges, Dayalan said to prevent these hospitals from exploiting patients, the government had fixed the charges for different category of hospitals according to the illness status of the patient.

Dayalan said hospitals had also been advised to exhibit the name of the nodal officer for grievance redressal so that patients’ family/attendant could approach the office concerned and air their grievances. Reiterating strict action against hospitals overcharging Covid patients, he said stringent action under the Epidemic Diseases Act would be taken against erring hospitals. The government was empowered to shut the hospital or take control over it, if need be, he warned.