Hosp asked to refund ₹1.4L of PPE bill to patient

Hosp asked to refund ₹1.4L of PPE bill to patient

Sumati.Yegkhom@timesgroup.com

Kolkata: 23.07.2020

The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Wednesday asked a private hospital in Mukundapur to refund a large portion of the amount that the hospital had allegedly charged a patient for PPE while the person was being treated for Covid-19.

The patient had been in the hospital for about three-and-ahalf weeks, including seven days in the ICU, during the treatment. Alleging that the hospital had charged Rs 1.8 lakh for PPE, the family had lodged a complaint with WBCERC.

The hospital, however, said its legal team was looking into ways to get the verdict reviewed. It also denied the charges of over-billing, citing that cost of PPE kits was much higher when the patient had been admitted to the hospital and that several consultants and healthcare workers were involved in the taking care of the patient, leading to a large number of PPE kits being used.

“The patient was admitted at a time when we had to procure personal safety gears at a higher price. If we are forced to refund, it will become difficult for private hospitals to operate,” said a statement from the hospital.

The hospital said its legal team was looking into ways to get the verdict reviewed. It denied charges of over-billing, citing that PPE cost was higher when the patient had been admitted