Lordship g r swaminathan -Madras high court has directed the authorities and Tamil Nadu Medical Council to inquire and take action on a complaint against a private hospital for collecting exorbitant charges for Covid-19 treatment in Madurai.

-19

CITY
HC orders probe into hospital charging Rs 8L for treating Covid
Kaushik Kannan | TNN | Sep 28, 2020, 04:43 IST
+1
AA

Madurai: Madras high court has directed the authorities and Tamil Nadu Medical Council to inquire and take action on a complaint against a private hospital for collecting exorbitant charges for Covid-19 treatment in Madurai.
REMOVE ADS

Petitioner Nehru and his wife Vasuki, who were suffering from severe fever and headache, went to NTC Hospital at Vaithiyanathapuram which told them that they were probably suffering from Covid-19, and asked them to pay Rs 8 lakh for admission. The petitioner paid Rs 5lakh in cash and the balance Rs 3lakh through credit card after which they were admitted to the hospital on July 8. After test results turned negative, they were discharged on July 10. Though they were given a bill of Rs 65,840 each, the hospital had refunded only Rs 1,05,000 and said there would not be any further refund. Hence, Nehru moved HC Madurai seeking action against the hospital.
The hospital management in their counter denied the petitioner’s claim and stated that he had paid only Rs 3lakh. It was also submitted that they had charged only as per the scheduled rates and that the balance amount was also refunded. Justice G R Swaminathan observed that in normal course of events, the court should have dismissed the writ petition on the ground that the matter involves an investigation into a factual dispute. The judge said there is nothing on record to indicate that the petitioner had paid Rs 5lakh in cash.
EXPLORE BRIEFS
NEWS IN
BRIEF
Your one-minute news catch up

PM urges storytellers to include stories from 1857-1947 period
“I urge all storytellers to include all inspirational stories from the period of foreign rule as we are going to celebrate 75 years of independence. Especially between 1857 and 1947, all small and major incidents. We can introduce our new generation to them in form of stories,” the Prime Minister said during the 69th edition of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme.

Use of mobiles permitted only for navigation while driving
Specifying the use of a handheld device or mobile phone while driving, the ministry notification said this will be allowed provided “such use is solely for route navigation by fixing the device on the dashboard of the vehicle in such a manner that shall not disturb the concentration of the driver while driving.

Congress no-confidence motion against Yediyurappa govt defeated
The no-confidence motion moved by the opposition Congress against the BJP government in Karnataka led by chief minister B S Yediyurappa was defeated by voice vote on Saturday night. After a fierce debate for about six hours, the no-confidence motion moved by leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah was defeated by a voice vote.

Shiromani Akali Dal walks out of NDA over farm bills
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance over the three farm bills that were allowed passage by the Centre in the recently concluded Monsoon session of Parliament. The decision was taken at SAD’s core committee meeting. The SAD becomes the third major NDA ally to pull out of the grouping after the Shiv Sena and the TDP.

Will govt have Rs 80,000cr for distribution of Covid vaccine, asks Serum Institute CEO
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, which is producing the potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University, asked on Saturday if the govt will have Rs 80,000 crore available to buy and distribute the vaccine. This is the next “challenge” we need to tackle, he said, also tagging the PMO. “I ask this question because we need to plan..,” said Poonawalla.

PM Modi raises questions on UN’s response in combating Covid-19; assures world of India’s vaccine production prowess
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday raised questions on the response of the United Nations in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, and assured the global community that India will use its production and delivery capacity to help all humanity in fighting the deadly disease.
GO TO BRIEFS

However, the judge recalled that another person, Nagendran, had filed a similar petition against the same hospital stating that he had paid Rs 5.9lakh for treatment and though bills were given for only Rs 40,000 the remaining amount was not refunded. The judge observed that the man’s counsel withdrew his petition informing that the balance Rs 5.5 lakh was refunded.
When the hospital had collected Rs 5.9lakh from a single patient, it is difficult to believe that they collected only Rs 3lakh for both Nehru and his wife. Hence the judge directed the director of medical and rural health services to inquire into the complaint and take appropriate actions. The judge also permitted the petitioner to submit a malpractice complaint to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council and further directed them to inquire into the complaint and take appropriate action on merits.