Haryana minister wants curbs on private hospitals' charges

To keep a check on cases similar to the case of over-billing that took place in Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday that he would speak to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda for bringing a proposal under which no private hospital could over-charge patients.

Vij said that he had set up a three-member committee under the chairmanship of Additional Director General, Health, to investigate the Fortis matter and submit its report at the earliest.

"The team will visit the hospital and seek detailed information about medicines, treatment given to the girl by doctors, reasons for her death, bill details, and also find out whether the girl had dengue or not. Strict action would be taken if the hospital was found guilty in the report," Vij said here in a statement.

He pointed out that the treatment of dengue was free of cost in all the government hospitals in Haryana, and its treatment even in private hospitals could not cost up to Rs 16 lakh.

He said that he will not allow the private hospitals to loot patients like this and necessary action would be taken in this direction.

The Fortis Hospital in Gurugram had handed over a bill of nearly Rs 16 lakh to the parents of a girl, Adya, who died due to dengue after being admitted in the hospital for 15 days.

--IANS

js/vd