The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission has ordered an investigation into an allegation that a diagnostic centre-cum-polyclinic in south Kolkata has administered Covid vaccine doses to an elderly couple that had passed the expiration date.
Retired judge Ashim Banerjee, chairperson of the commission, said the panel had received a complaint from Manish Jhunjhunwala, who alleged that Aloka Medicare Private Limited had given Covid shots to his elderly parents that had passed the expiration date.
“This is an extremely serious allegation. According to the complaint, Jhunjhunwala’s parents were given the doses on March 26. But soon after the vaccine was given, the family spotted that the expiration date was February 5,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee said he had asked police and the director of health services (DHS) to probe the allegation. “Police have collected the vial for testing. I have asked police to share the vial with the DHS for examination so that he could take proper action against the clinic,” he said.
The Telegraph tried to contact Aloka Medicare by calling up the two numbers mentioned on its website. One was switched off and calls to the other went unanswered.
Refund
The commission charged two city hospitals with excess billing and asked them to make refunds.
Fortis Hospital has been asked to partially waive the bills of a patient who had to be admitted twice for an angiogram, Banerjee said.
“Despite the patient having to be admitted twice for a simple angiogram, she is not yet fit. The second bill should not have been charged on humanitarian ground.
We have asked the hospital to refund the cost of her second admission, keeping aside the charges of medicine, consumables and lab tests,” he said.
The Fortis authorities told this newspaper: “We will abide by the decision.”
CMRI Hospital has been asked to make refunds to the family of a woman whose ovarian cancer allegedly could not be detected on time, Banerjee said.
Banerjee said the woman was initially treated for TB at CMRI. At a later stage, ovarian cancer was detected. Her family took her to two other private hospitals and she eventually died.
The woman had been admitted to CMRI twice. The first bill was covered under insurance but 75 per cent of the second bill was paid by the family. “We have asked the hospital to revise the second bill and refund the amount to the family,” Banerjee said.
A CMRI official said: “We will look into the matter and act accordingly.”