Delhi Govt asked to look into malpractice of slimming clinics

Delhi Government's Department of Health has been asked by the state consumer commission here to look into the "malpractice" of slimming clinics which are taking advantage of the weight-loss trend and "fleecing" the hard earned money of the people.
The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's order came, while holding a city-based weight-loss clinic, Rediscover, guilty of unfair trade practice. It directed the clinic to pay Rs 30,000 for "entrapping" people who approach it for slimming treatments.
"With the growing trend of the people opting for slimming programmes, the weight loss clinics are encashing the present trend to their advantage by keeping the lives of the people at stake and fleecing their pockets of hard earned money. The Government of Delhi should view the present scenario with serious concern to prevent such malpractices from thriving..," a bench presided by N A Zaidi said.

Taking note of a disclaimer in the bill of the clinic, the bench also said, "Respondent (clinic) is involved in the practice of first entrapping innocent people who approach it for weight-loss treatment and then refusing to give it keeping in view their medical problem and pressurising them to choose some alternative treatment else the amount paid by them shall stand forfeited."
The disclaimer said money once paid will not be refunded, but it can be adjusted against some other treatment after deducting 20 per cent from the amount, the bench noted.
The commission also said such clinics are obligated to first certify by a qualified doctor that a customer is fit to undertake weight-loss treatment before taking their money.

It directed the clinic to refund the amount of Rs 10,000 paid by Delhi resident Dutt Raj Gupta and to pay him Rs 10,000 as compensation. The commission also ordered Rediscover to deposit Rs 10,000 in the consumer welfare fund.

The commission's order was passed ex-parte as no one appeared on behalf of the clinic despite service of notice on the complaint filed by Gupta.
Gupta, in his plea, had alleged that the clinic took money for a weight-loss treatment despite knowing he suffered from keloid in the chest and then refused to give him the treatment and offered an alternative instead.

Keloids are a type of scar tissue formed over a wound.
The clinic also refused to refund the amount of Rs 10,000 he had paid if he did not opt for the alternative, he alleged.