Anand Patel | Edited by Sanjana Agnihotri
November 21, 2017 | UPDATED 15:26 IST
IMA National President Dr KK Agarwal told India Today that it was a severe case of dengue where the life of the patient was under threat, and in such cases doctors try every possible medical procedure to save the patient.
Fortis hospital (Photo: fortishealthcare.com)The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has defended Fortis Gurugram for charging Rs 16 Lakhs for the treatment of a seven-year-old dengue patient.
IMA National President Dr KK Agarwal told India Today that it was a severe case of dengue where the life of the patient was under threat, in such a case doctors try every possible medical procedure to save the patient. Dr Agarwal said that it is the responsibility of the hospital to inform relatives of the patient about cost of treatment on a daily basis.
FYI- IMA is the representative voluntary body of doctors in the country.
Dr KK Agarwal said that by creating a controversy a wrong message is being sent out that cost of treatment in such severe cases can not be this high.
"This was not a simple case of dengue, the patient was serious and was shifted from a tertiary hospital to a bigger hospital, it was a severe dengue case, child was serious, patient was in ICU for 13 days and on ventilator for 11 days. If you have to revive a patient, doctors must try every possible treatment available," said Dr Agarwal.
According to him, the only way to find out if Fortis has fleeced the patient in this case is by getting to know the cost of same treatment at AIIMS.
"Packets of 200 gloves each are given to safai karmcharis, nurse and doctors to attend any patient but it has to accountable and unused ones should be returned, similarly any syringe unused must be returned," said Dr Agarwal while talking about the high number of syringes and gloves used during treatment of the seven-year-old deceased.
Dr Agarwal said that everyday hospital must inform the bill, patient must check the bill details to avoid any confusion. He said, "if the family would have come to IMA we would have investigated but since the government is doing it now we should wait for their report".
He added that if there is any specific complaint against any doctor then IMA is ready to look into the matter.
IMA National President said that the issue of overcharging or overpricing can be dealt only if the government does bench-marking of cost of treatment involved, as the cost of treatment is certainly higher at a private hospital.