Pvt hospital overcharges Rs2.78L

Committee tells it to refund the amount

* Actual bill was Rs91K

“The committee found that a sum of Rs2,78,000 was overcharged in the bill amounting to Rs3,69,000 by the hospital. It found that the actual amount of the bill was approximately Rs91,000.”

— UT Admn

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 22

A committee headed by the SDM (South), Chandigarh, has found that a private hospital overcharged Rs2,78,000 from a patient and has directed it to refund the extra amount.

The committee, comprising SDM (South) Satish Jain, the area Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Senior Medical Officer (Health) and the Drug Inspector (Health), examined the complaint made by Kunal Soni against a city-based hospital for overcharging him for his father’s Covid-19 treatment.

“The committee found that a sum of Rs2,78,000 was overcharged in the bill amounting to Rs3,69,000 by the hospital. It found that the actual amount of the bill was Rs91,000 approximately,” read an official statement released by the Chandigarh Administration.

The committee directed the hospital authorities to refund the overcharged amount to the complainant within three days.

The UT Administration had formed committees to check fleecing of patients by private hospitals in the city.

Each committee was headed by the SDM of the respective area with a DSP, an SMO and a drug inspector as its members.

Taking advantage of the sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases, several private hospitals allegedly overcharged patients for treatment.

On receiving complaints, the UT Health Department issued notices to several private hospitals.

The private hospitals were found charging extra for oxygen, medicines and tests even as these were part of the package notified by the UT Administration on April 24.