The state’s clinical establishment regulatory commission on Friday asked Horizon Lifeline to give Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family of a patient because the hospital had not shared medical records and the case summary with the family.
Retired judge Ashim Banerjee, the commission’s chairperson, said that a 74-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital in 2020. When her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to another hospital.
“We found the hospital’s fault on two counts. They did not share medical records when the patient was shifted from Horizon Lifeline. The hospital also did not provide case summary to the family. As a result, there were difficulties in treating her when she was shifted from Horizon,” said Banerjee. “We have asked the hospital to give Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family.”
The Telegraph called the phone number on the hospital’s website on Friday evening but a woman who answered said there was no one available for comment.
Two other city hospitals were asked to refund over Rs 2 lakh to patient parties because they did not adhere to the commission’s advisories and overcharged the patients. The commission imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on a third hospital.
The National Neurosciences Centre, a separate clinical establishment that runs from the campus of Peerless Hospital, was asked to return Rs 1.14 lakh to the family of a patient, Banerjee said.
He later told The Telegraph that the hospital did not follow the commission’s advisories.
The commission had in August 2020 issued advisories asking private hospitals to offer at least 10 per cent discount on medicines and 20 per cent discount on consumables.
Last year, the commission fixed a limit on the rates for a number of pathological and radiological tests. “National Neurosciences Centre did not follow the advisories while billing the patient,” Banerjee said.
An official of the hospital said that the patient, a 65-year-old man, was admitted on November 17 and discharged on December 16. “One of our doctors even visited the patient at home after he was discharged. We were not aware of the advisories. We will abide by the commission’s order,” said Amit Mitra, the manager (administration) of the hospital.
Medica Superspeciality Hospital was asked to return Rs 96,000 to the family of a 72-year-old woman. She underwent treatment in the hospital between January 17 and February 2. The hospital had presented a bill of over Rs 9 lakh after offering a discount of Rs 44,436. But the commission found that there was further scope for offering discounts.
“We found the hospital had charged Rs 55,000 extra only on investigations. Overall, we asked the hospital to refund Rs 96,051,” Banerjee said.
Komal Dashora, president, Medica Superspeciality Hospitals, said that “the hospital would comment only after it receives a copy of the order”.
The commission imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on CMRI for delaying the release of a man’s body after he expired and misbehaving with the family.
“We are looking into the matter,” said a CMRI official.