Apollo Hospital fined Rs 50,000 over registration fee
HYDERABAD: The Jubilee Hills branch of Apollo Hospital has been slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 by GST sleuths after the hospital failed to raise invoice (bills) for Rs 200 that they collect as registration fee from their first-time patients. The move comes after city-based RTI activist and founder of NGO Forum against Corruption Vijay Gopal had filed a complaint against the hospital six months ago.
Speaking to Express, Vijay Gopal said that around six months ago, when he took his mother to the hospital for treatment, the hospital management asked him to pay Rs 200 as the registration fee. When he asked the reason for the registration fee he was told that as he is visiting the hospital for the first time he needs to pay a registration fee as per their policy. This is exclusive of Rs 900 that the hospital charged him for medial consultancy.
“When I asked for an invoice for the registration fee, the hospital just gave me a receipt without any GST number listed on it. This means it is a fake receipt and the money transaction is not being recorded making it black money. Following this, I filed a complaint against the hospital at the central GST office,” he said.
The order issued by the GST officials said that Apollo Hospital management has violated GST norms.
The sleuths have also asked the hospital management to raise bills for the registration fee from now on.