A private hospital in Calcutta admitted 50 patients on Tuesday and Wednesday and asked for Rs 50,000 as advance payment from each.

Only one patient could pay the amount, while 18 paid much less. The rest expressed their inability to pay during admission but promised to pay in full at the time of discharge.

The data showed how patients are inconvenienced if a hospital insists on Rs 50,000 as advance at the time of admission.

The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission has issued an advisory allowing private hos-pitals to take a deposit of up to Rs 50,000 or 20 per cent of the estimated treatment cost, whichever is less, during admission.

The advisory also states that if a patient is unable to pay instantly, the hospital has to admit him or her but the amount has to be paid within 12 hours. If a patient fails to pay up within that time, the hospital can ask that the bed be vacated within an hour.

The chief executive of the private hospital that admitted 50 patients on Tuesday and Wednesday said none of them was shifted because their families had promised to pay during the course of treatment.

“Several patients told us they would not pay because they had cashless insurance policies,” said the CEO, who declined to be quoted by name. Eighteen of the patients paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000, he said.

“Some of them, Covid-19 patients, had come alone to get admitted. When our staff asked them for deposits, they said they had come to the hospital with whatever cash they had at home at that time,” said the CEO.

“Their family members, who did not come to the hospital but are in touch with us over the phone, said they were too hassled at that moment to arrange for more money.”

The CEO added relatives of these patients had promised to pay the entire treatment cost before discharge.

Some of those who could not pay at the time of admission said they did not have enough cash at home and had hurried to the hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.

“At least one of these patients had severe symptoms and is admitted in the intensive care unit. Such patients don’t come to the hospital with credit or debit cards,” said the CEO.

Asked why they were insisting on Rs 50,000, and not on 20 per cent of the estimated cost, the CEO said it was almost impossible to guess how expensive the treatment of a Covid patient with symptoms could be. “Such estimates can be given for someone who will undergo planned surgery,” he said.

There have been allegations against several hospitals that they are asking for huge deposits and refusing to admit patients if their demand is not met.

Public health experts point out saving a life is most important.

“True, money is needed for treatment, but that should not be a pre-condition for access to healthcare, especially during a pandemic such as the one we are going through,” said a public health professional.

A person testing positive for the coronavirus disease is usually under immense emotional and psychological pressure. Such people often don’t have instant access to adequate money.

“We are asking for Rs 50,000 from each patient coming for admission, in accordance with the recent advisory of the regulatory commission. But few patients can pay the amount upfront. So we are taking whatever they are paying and admitting them,” said Sudipta Mitra, the chief executive of Peerless Hospital.

Other hospitals, too, said patients during the pandemic were coming without much cash and are unable to pay Rs 50,000.

“Most of these patients who come to the emergency do not carry money with them. So they are asked to deposit a small amount based on their immediate ability, which generally is between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. We follow them up with daily estimate of charges and provisional bills,” said R. Venkatesh, director, eastern region of Narayana Health, which runs the RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences.Calcutta: Calcuttans stocked up on groceries and packed refrigerators with ready-to-eats ahead of two consecutive days of “complete lockdown”.

Except essential service personnel and people in emergencies, no one will be allowed outside between 6am and 10pm on Thursday and Friday. Even food stores and milk booths will be closed.

Biswajit Saha, who runs a mom-and-pop store on Hindusthan Road, had sold 40 litres of milk more than he usually does. Around 7.30pm, he was lamenting he could have sold at least 120 litres more had he got the arithmetic right. “One man who buys two pouches took home 10 today,” Saha said.

Many are worried about supplies on Saturday morning as well. Milk may or may not be there this Saturday but banks will be closed. The two-day lockdown means four consecutive bank holidays.

There were longer queues outside ATMs across the city on Wednesday, amid apprehension that they may not be refilled over the weekend. The manager of a nationalised bank said his bank had refilled all their ATMs.

The pharmacies were crowded as were liquor stores.

Exemptions during the lockdown include health services, medicine stores, police stations, courts, jails, electricity and conservancy services, cooked food delivery services, newspapers and electronic media. Police teams across the city used loudhailers and microphones to announce the lockdown dates and rules.

Officers in Gariahat said the market was unusually crowded on Wednesday and they had to announce again and again the need to maintain the social distancing rule.

On Wednesday, several elderly citizens were seen queuing up outside a nationalised bank near Behala Chowrasta around 11.30am.

As only four visitors were being allowed inside, the queue kept extending. Rishikesh Hazra, said he was more comfortable with withdrawal from a bank than an ATM. “I am scared someone will see my PIN and steal my money,” said the retired school teacher.