Overcharging? Private doctors may be booked

Aditya Dev | TNN | Apr 14, 2020, 07:07 IST

Ghaziabad: Private doctors charging an inflated fee from patients will be booked under the Epidemic Disease Act and the Uttar Pradesh Epidemic Disease, Covid-19 Regulations, 2020, the health department said on Monday.
A letter issued by Dr NK Gupta, the chief medical officer (CMO), said several complaints had been received about doctors charging an exorbitant fee at a time when Covid-19 has been declared as a global pandemic. The order further advised doctors to take minimum fee and, if possible, provide free counselling to patients. “The private doctors are being directed to charge their usual fee or give free counselling if possible during these tough times as their moral responsibility. It is also expected from them that they would promote telemedicine and give counselling to a wide range of patients through this medium,” said the order.
Condemning such practices by private doctors, the Indian Medical Association president (Ghaziabad), Dr VB Jindal, said, “It is wrong if such a thing is happening. I will surely discuss this matter among our members and ask them to ensure that no such practice takes place.”
Residents have complained they are inconvenienced as the out-patient departments of several hospitals and clinics are shut. In such a scenario, people seeking treatment for common ailments have no other option but to visit emergency units where the charges are almost double.
Through an order recently, the state government had stated that private doctors can see patients in their clinics while maintaining social distancing norms. Despite that, many doctors have avoided opening their clinics.