Bengal to take up excessive billing by private hospitals

The West Bengal government has called a meeting of the authorities of private hospitals in the state to discuss excessive billing alleged by many patients, vowing not to allow such "unusual practices".
State Consumer Affairs & Self Help Group & Self-Employment Minister Sadhan Pandey today said, "It has come to our notice that some private hospitals are doing something unusual regarding billing."
The minister said that in the meeting, expected to be held sometime next week after the ongoing Assembly session, he would enquire about reasons behind patients being charged beyond the packages under which they were admitted.
"We have noticed that hospitals are charging more than the packages patients had taken up during admission there. They were also transferring them to the ICU and sometimes to ventilation adding up to the bills... We will have a thorough discussion on these issues during the meeting," Pandey said.

"We cannot let them do this. They cannot continue this because this is not a business but serving of the people. Some hospitals have taken land from the state government and they must give concession and they cannot make people suffer like this," Pandey said.
The report of the meeting would be sent to the Health Department which is looked after by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
On whether he would take some action if family members of the patient, who died at the CMRI hospital yesterday resulting in violence, approach him alleging negligence in treatment, Pandey said, "If they approach me, I will surely look into the matter and take necessary action, if needed.