BENGALURU: Alleged delay in releasing the body of a 57-year-old male from a city-based private hospital in Byatarayanapura, since the family was unable to clear the bill demanded, sparked a protest by relatives on Tuesday morning.
Following the intervention of Health Commissioner D Randeep and other officials, the hospital released the body on Tuesday evening, after offering a concession in the bill. The deceased, Sridhar S, a car driver and resident of Basaveshwaranagar in Kanakapura, is survived by his wife Prema and 23-year-old son, a student, and a 10-year-old daughter.
Sridhar’s wife Prema told TNIE, “My husband was admitted with a complaint of stomachache and tiredness on September 13. He was diagnosed with a liver issue. My husband died last Thursday at noon. We had paid the bill of Rs 6.87 lakh, but since we were unable to clear Rs 3.5 lakh more, they did not allow us to see him or release his body. After we protested on Tuesday morning, health department officials intervened and finally, hospital authorities agreed to take Rs 1.25 lakh and released the body by evening.”
Sridhar’s relative Mahendra said, “The family feels Sridhar died on Thursday as hospital authorities did not allow them to see him since then. But, they only officially declared him dead on Monday evening. By that time, they had already cleared Rs 6.87 lakh. Probably they delayed his death announcement, only to ensure the family cleared the bills,” he said. Health officials who visited the hospital told TNIE, “We are taking up a detailed investigation of the case, and inspection of the hospital’s functioning,” an official said.