BENGALURU: After Covid-19 felled 74-year-old Shaik Adam on Thursday, his family members were in for a shock when they were presented with a bill of Rs 13,54,337 by Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road. They had already paid Rs 6,55,000, but the hospital refused to release the body till the remainder was paid, the family alleged.
As per the government-capped rates, an ICU patient can be charged a maximum of Rs 25,000 per day. As Adam was in ICU for 22 days, the bill should have been Rs 5,50,000. In a call recording, the patient’s son, Imran, tells hospital administrator Dr Praveen Wali, “I had hoped that Fortis with such a big name will do good and Dr Praveen will help but you are behind the cheque only.” The doctor responds, “This is a company. I also get a salary. Don’t pay now.
Give a declaration saying you don’t have the entire amount now and you will settle the bill later and give a blank cheque without your signature on it.” Imran told TNIE, “We did not give the cheque. My father only had symptoms of cough when he tested positive and got admitted. But they put him on a ventilator from the second day and he passed away at 5.30 pm on Thursday. How can we afford Rs 13 lakh?” Then, volunteers from NGO Mercy Mission spoke to the hospital and called it out for overcharging. The body was released on Friday morning.
Hospital denies charges
In a statement, Fortis Hospital said that Shaik Adam was brought in on July 14 with a severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia. He was put on a ventilator from July 15, for the next 21 days. “Along with severe Covid and pneumonia, he had multiple organ dysfunction as well and was undergoing treatment for the same at the hospital which is exclusive of the price cap set out by the government.
We are strictly adhering to the price cap set by the government and all charges in the bill are in strict accordance with their directive,” it said. “The family has paid only half of the billed amount; the balance is outstanding. Only as an assurance against the outstanding amount, the hospital collected a declaration letter which was voluntarily given. The allegations that the body was forcibly withheld for non-payment of bills are totally false,” it said.