Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 3

The District Attorney (DA), Panchkula, has given a legal opinion for the registration of FIRs against Paras Hospital and Alchemist Hospital for alleged cheating, forgery and disobedience to order duly promulgated under the IPC, the Epidemic Act and the Disaster Management Act.

In the case of Alchemist Hospital, District Attorney Pankaj Raj Garg opined that it violated the guidelines issued by the Haryana Government, “which calls for criminal action, besides administrative action,” for overcharging from patient Milan Sharma.

The patient was issued a bill on May 22 for Rs3.63 lakh and as per a show-cause notice issued to the hospital. Had the patient been covered under the Haryana Government instructions, only Rs2.70 lakh would have been charged. So, the patient was charged Rs92,403 more, which is 34 per cent more than the legitimate bill.

The FIR has been recommended under Sections 188, 420, 465, 468 and 471 of the IPC, Section 3 of the Epidemic Act and Sections 51, 53, 57 and 58 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

In the case of Paras Hospital, it was found that it overcharged patient Man Singh 50 per cent extra (Rs2.26 lakh more), vide a bill, dated April 25, as compared to the market rate for administering drug immunoglobulin.

Another patient, Vijay Kumar, was issued a bill, dated May 8, for Rs19.51 lakh, of which Rs12.39 lakh was paid, while Rs7.12 lakh was outstanding. As per the Haryana Government instructions, the bill should have been Rs5.68 lakh.

Patient SK Sud was charged Rs1.40 lakh in excess, vide a bill, dated May 25, which was 171.67 per cent extra than the legitimate bill.

The District Attorney observed that in the case of patient Jog Dhian, Paras Hospital had overcharged, but later it was rectified on the intervention of a committee, constituted by the DC.

The District Attorney has called for the registration of FIR against Paras Hospital under Sections 188, 420, 465, 468 and 471 of the IPC, Section 3 of the Epidemic Act and Sections 51, 53, 57 and 58 of the Disaster Management Act.

The FIRs have been recommended to be registered complaint-wise.

The District Attorney’s opinion was sought after the district-level committee gave its findings. In its recommendations, the District Attorney has recommended appointing a nodal officer through whom the payment of bills should be routed to private hospitals. It will help check excessive billing.

He said the nodal officer could also be assigned the duty of verifying the purchase of medicines or equipment bills of the hospitals for treating Covid patients and the amount charged by the hospitals.

He said private hospitals could also be directed to upload the complete data about patients admitted with Covid-19 in the said hospital and the amount in detail with full particulars charged from them.

Both hospitals denied the allegations and claimed they were cooperating in the investigation.