BALLARI : Allegedely taking advantage of the five maternal deaths reported in a span of a month at Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), some private hospitals have started exploiting patients by jacking up charges for admitting pregnant women.
The five deaths had allegedly taken place after banned IV fluid was administered to the patients by BIMS doctors and staff. Following these incidents, many patients who were admitted in BIMS and other government hospitals, have been shifting to private hospitals from the last 15 days.
Parents and relatives of pregnant women are demanding that the district administration should take immediate action against private hospitals to are charging more and ensure that they don’t fleece patients.
Nagashekar Reddy (name changed), a resident of Kampli, said, “After the five deaths were reported, I decided to shift my daughter, who was also admitted in BIMS Hospital, to a private hospital.
Earlier, one of my relatives who had undergone delivery in that private hospital was charged about Rs 30,000. But when when I admitted my daughter in the same private hospital, they demanded Rs 50,000.
All her reports are normal but the hospital is saying that there are no vacant beds available as many pregnant women have got themselves admitted in the hospital.”