Hyderabad hospital detains patient for not paying Rs 4.20-lakh bill for COVID-19 treatment

HYDERABAD:  VINN Hospital, a renowned private healthcare facility at Begumpet in the city, allegedly detained a 54-year-old Covid-19 patient for not paying a bill of Rs 4.20 lakh for his treatment on Tuesday. The patient, Rama Rao from Alwal, who is a retired government employee, had tested positive a fortnight ago. Earlier, he was treated at another private hospital in the city.

As he was showing signs of recovery, he got himself discharged from that hospital and went into home isolation. “A few days later, I started experiencing a few health issues, after which I got myself admitted to VINN Hospital on April 1. When I was getting admitted, I had showed the hospital authorities my insurance policy, and had informed them that I could pay them only through insurance,” he told Express.

Rama Rao claimed that three days ago, the hospital had asked him to pay Rs 4.20 lakh immediately, citing an issue with his insurance policy. “After that, they stopped all my treatment. They also told the staff not to let me leave unless I pay them. On Monday night, the hospital staff moved me to another room and locked me there. I was not provided food and water. I got scared, so I made a video and posted it on social media on Tuesday. The video went viral, and that really helped me,” he said.

The patient was released by the hospital on Tuesday evening. “The staff told me that I can leave, and also reduced my bill to Rs 2.78 lakh. In fact, they said I can go home without paying a penny now, and that after a week, the hospital would contact me for payment,” he added. Express tried to reach out to the hospital for comment, but there has been no response from them so far.  

LOCKED UP, DENIED FOOD AND WATER
Rama Rao claimed that three days ago, the hospital had asked him to pay Rs 4.20 lakh immediately. “They stopped all my treatment. On Monday night, the hospital staff moved me to another room and locked me there. I was not provided food and water,” he said