Private hospitals fleecing patients left, right and centre

Hans India

12 hours ago

Hyderabad: Taking K Chandrashekarundue advantage of the lack of qualified doctors who could be engaged in regulatory oversight, most of the private and corporate hospitals, including those in the city, are flouting all the norms prescribed by the State Government in line with the centrally enacted Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and collecting exorbitant charges for various procedures and treatments for in-patients with various health complications.
According to healthcare experts, most of the hospitals in the city are violating even the elementary rule requiring mandatory display of the costs of surgical treatments prominently in their hospitals. Majority of the corporate healthcare centres fleece patients admitted for surgeries or with other health complications requiring long-term hospitalisation. Instead of going by the largely standardised charges for various procedures, their charges vary from person to person depending on the condition of the patient and whether he is insured.
As soon as a patient is admitted, the hospitals make discreet enquiries about whether he or she is insured. If the patient is insured, they begin with a battery of diagnostic tests, not all of which may be required for the patient. If say a neuro patient is admitted, regardless of the protocol required in the particular case, they immediately go for X-ray, CT scan, MRI, 2dEcho, DSA and more before zeroing on the probable cause of the neuro issue. This is so even if the patient has a history of TIAs (transient ischaemic attacks). The trend these days is to advise the patient to go for a stent, which can cost from Rs 36,000, going up to lakhs and still leave the patient almost in a vegetative state if things go wrong. For most families, the battery of tests alone cost between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000. This amount is usually collected in cash as advance amount.
Later, the consumables, operation theater expenses etc. for the procedure are charged as per the whims and fancies of the hospital in disregard of standardised rates.
Thus, even 'insured' patients have to shell out a lot of money, be they middle class or lower middle class.
As per a research conducted in India on the 'Out of Pocket expenditure' (OOPE), which is the expenditure people incur on their own for accessing healthcare, about 2.2 per cent of the population is pushed into poverty every year due to the amount of money they spend on healthcare.
It is not that hospitals are left to their own devices. Hospitals across the country are required to display the charges for their services and procedures in a conspicuous place in English and in the local language, as per the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. Non-compliance can result in monetary penalties, and in severe cases, the hospital's registration can also be cancelled.
Healthcare experts point out that while the government alone cannot cope with the massive demand for procedures and services, private entities are encouraged. This should not be done without regulatory oversight. That is, there should be clear limits on pricing for various procedures.
The Telangana Medical Council (TGMC), which has been active in cracking the whip on quacks and imposters offering medical services, has done very little when it comes to restricting exorbitant pricing in hospitals. The TGMC Vice Chairman Dr G Srinivas conceded that many hospitals do not follow the rules. However, he said that the State government would have to act against errant hospitals as per the Clinical Establishment Act. 'We also get complaints for excessive charging and we report it to the state government for further action,' said Dr Srinivas.
The administration is plagued with lack of staff to take up regular inspection of the hospitals suspected to be flouting rules.
It may be mentioned here that the State Government adopted the Clinical Establishment Act enacted by the Centre in 2023 and all the rules prescribed in the Act should be automatically followed by the State government.
Sources said that with the start of the recruitment drive by the government, the question of scarcity of doctors can be addressed and inspections taken up.
The Director of Public Health, Dr B Ravinder Nayak, told The Hans India that as per the rules, hospitals needs to display the price list and inform the patients in advance.
When asked about any remedial action to help those who have been wronged, the Director said that if any patient feels the pricing has been exorbitant, they can approach the District Registration Authority (DRA), which is headed by the District Collector. The DRA would be forwarding the cases to the DMHO. He further clarified that the Centre as per the Act has been trying for uniformity of the pricing and it would take some time, but it will be implemented for sure.