Seeking urgent action into the death of 7-year-old Adya Singh due to dengue and the subsequent actions of the Fortis Hospital authorities, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has shot a letter to the Haryana state government.
After a harrowing two weeks at the private-run hospital, Adya breathed her last on September 14. After her death, the hospital handed over a steep bill of Rs 16 lakh to her family. The horror story was first reported in DNA on November 20.
Union health minister JP Nadda then asked Union health Secretary Preeti Sudan to take action in the case. Sudan told DNA: "We have taken cognisance of the newspaper reports and have asked the Haryana health department to conduct a detailed probe. Health is a state subject and issues such as licensing of hospitals come under their jurisdiction."
Sudan's letter to Haryana health secretary Amit Jha stated: "Such incidents have an extremely deleterious impact on the faith of general public in the healthcare system of the country. It is our duty to ensure that quality care and treatment is provided to people in need and that it is provided at a fair and an affordable price."
The ministry has asked the health department of Haryana to ascertain the details of the treatment and charges levied by the hospital. It has also asked for an expert opinion regarding the reasonability of the details provided. Fortis had drawn a 20-page bill, which stated that 660 syringes and over a 1,000 gloves were used during Adya's treatment.
Her father Jayant, an I-T professional, also ended up paying close to Rs 4 lakh for drugs whose cheaper version are easily available in the market. The cost of medical consumables, including over a 1,000 gloves billed at Rs 17,142, came up to a whopping Rs 2.73 lakh. Other investigations, including blood tests, cost him another Rs 2.17 lakh and the diagnostics, billed separately, cost Rs 29,290.
On September 7, Jayant started a Facebook page — Fight Against Healthcare Corruption — to highlight the plight of the family. "Following this, a team including patient engagement director, medical director, doctors, and nursing head was constituted for grievance redressal. None of them were in the picture when my baby was struggling to breathe in the paediatric ICU as we stared on helplessly," a bereaved Jayant told DNA. "The team was supposed to meet me on November 20. They have not approached me yet," he added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Fortis Hospital")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}