People fighting legal battles at consumer and higher courts against services provided by the private hospitals came together on Friday in New Delhi to share their tales of struggle under the banner of the Campaign for Dignified and Affordable Healthcare (CDAH)
Jayant Singh lost his seven-year-old daughter Adya Singh at Fortis Hospital in Gurugram in September 2017. Singh alleged that the hospital charged the family Rs 16 lakh for dengue treatment.
A case was registered against the hospital authorities and a government probe found that the hospital had shown negligence while treating Adya. The investigation also mentioned a 108 per cent profit margin in medicine charges slapped by the hospital on the family, and a 1,737 per cent profit margin in other services.
Despite a detailed an inquiry report holding the hospitals and doctors responsible for negligence, the Medical Council of India is still calling Singh for documents which are with the Haryana State Medical Council.
Singh is not alone.
People fighting legal battles at consumer and higher courts against services provided by the private hospitals came together on Friday in New Delhi to share their tales of struggle under the banner of the Campaign for Dignified and Affordable Healthcare (CDAH)
The national forum comprising patients and families, civil society groups and health experts has decided to take up the issue of overcharging and exploitation by corporate hospitals. It will provide legal aid and advice to families pitted against the private healthcare sector, which is hollowed by an absence of regulations, weak institutional mechanism and lack of consumer redressal system. "The private health-care sector in India functions in a virtual free-for-all mode," says Dr Indranil Mukhopadhyay, a health activist with Jan Swasthya Abhiyan.
Rinku Singh too has horror stories of his father's treatment at Max Hospital in New Delhi in 2015. Sardar Pradhan Singh was admitted for retention of fluids. The doctors advised a renal transplant, despite the fact that Sardar Pradhan was not on dialysis. While the doctors pronounced the operation as successful, Singh says his father began to cry in pain soon. A second surgery was conducted, which lasted from 2 am to 6 am, after which the hospital staff put cellotape on the patient's eyes to keep them shut.
Despite repeated questions, the staff did not clarify the patient's condition with the family and did not explain why there was no movement. Sardar Pradhan was kept on ventilator for four days, and later declared dead. For three years, Singh has been fighting a case against the hospital.
Rajiv Nath, president of the All India Syringes and Needle Manufacturers Association said that the manufacturers are guilty of exploitation too, as it is them who print the medical devices with maximum retail prices that are used to escalate charges.
Case Study
In 2015, Rinku Singh’s father was admitted to Max Hospital. The doctors advised a renal transplant and conducted 2 surgeries. He was put on ventilator for 4 days and died. Doctors didn’t share details of his condition with the kin
A Harried Lot
Despite questions, the staff did not clarify the patient’s condition with the family.
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