Delhi government's draft policy targets profiteering by private hospitals

The Delhi government has formed guidelines to regulate the functioning of private hospitals and curb the practice of arbitrarily charging patients. According to the proposed draft policy, private hospitals and nursing homes should restrict their profit margins from medicines and consumables to not more than 50 per cent.

The decision, aimed at curbing profiteering by private hospitals, was announced by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday. The draft policy also prohibits private hospitals and nursing homes from refusing to hand over bodies over pending bills. DNA on January 11 had reported about the health department's draft policy. The general public can now send their suggestions on the draft policies within 30 days.

As per the draft advisory, private hospitals can charge patients the maximum retail prices for medicines in the National List of Essential Medicines, 2015, as their prices have already been capped.

"We have received many complaints about private hospitals overcharging patients. We are forming a committee to monitor the rates for tests/investigations. No private hospital can force any patient to purchase medicines from their pharmacy," said Jain.

The draft lists amendments proposed by an expert committee to the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Rules. Clinical establishments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi can bill patients for non-essential drugs, disposables and consumables.

The advisory was framed after the AAP government formed a nine-member committee to monitor the functioning of private hospitals in the Capital.

Hospitals in the region should also ensure that rates of surgery packages should be "transparent, without any hidden charges," and should disclose whether it covers any complications during the procedure.

"Hospitals levying extra charges in packages before surgery to insure complications have to display these charges "at conspicuous places", especially the admission counter. Any additional procedure performed on the patient shall be charged at 50 per cent of its original package rate for "high risk" procedures covering complications," he said.

The decision to form the committee was made following a series of meetings by the health minister with various professional and regulatory organisations representing doctors at medical institutions across Delhi. The move came after a family alleged medical negligence against Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh for wrongly declaring a baby dead.

Referring to a case in which a family was billed over Rs 16 lakh for the treatment of a girl who later died due to alleged medical negligence at Fortis Hospital in Gururgram, the committee had pitched for capping profit margins on drugs and consumables sold at private hospitals.

According to officials, the health department had received various complaints of private hospitals forcing patients to buy medicines on inflated rates and from medical shops from hospitals.

THE GUIDELINES

Private hospitals and nursing homes should restrict their profit margins from medicines and consumables to not more than 50% and hospitals cannot refuse to release bodies over pending bills.

The Draft

The draft lists amendments proposed by an expert committee to the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Rules. Clinical establishments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi can bill patients for non-essential drugs, disposables and consumables