BENGALURU: A resident of RT Nagar has alleged that a private hospital in the city delayed the discharge of his newborn due to his inability to pay treatment bills, which ran into lakhs of rupees. Finally, the baby was discharged on Friday.
Shahid Ali Baig’s daughter was born prematurely on April 7 at Motherhood Hospital in Hebbal after doctors recommended a C-Section. After four months of treatment, the hospital said on August 14 that she could be discharged, but allegedly refused when Baig could not pay the full dues. The hospital has denied any lapses.
Baig said hospital staff told him that the baby needed to be in the ICU for 5-12 days as she was born prematurely. “I told them I couldn’t keep her there for so long as I would not be able to bear the expenses,” Shahid told The New Indian Express.
Shahid, a sales executive, said he suffered income losses during the lockdown. “The hospital said it would be a maximum of 12 days but then extended it to one month,” he said. He was then told that she became critical and needed surgery at the Indiranagar branch. “I was surprised because they did not inform me earlier that she was critical. Suddenly, they said she needed surgery,” he said.
The baby was then put on ventilator support for 20 days and underwent three surgeries. “Last Friday, they told me I could take my baby, but then refused when I couldn’t pay the full amount,” he said. Shahid said he borrowed money from relatives and also got help from a charitable trust, but could arrange only Rs 12 lakh. However, he was asked to pay an additional Rs 8 lakh, which he didn’t have.
On Thursday, he took to Twitter to narrate his ordeal, after which people began questioning the hospital. The hospital discharged the baby on Friday after the outrage on Twitter, he said. A spokesperson from Motherhood said the baby was born prematurely at 33 weeks, with multiple complications that required intensive care. “The team has provided continuous care to the baby and has involved the parents at every stage of the treatment process with their consent. On request of the father, we also extended financial aid and have assisted the parents seek crowdfunding to bear the treatment cost,” the hospital said.