Latest news with #WestBengalClinicalEstablishmentRegulatoryCommission


Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Fake doc in ward: Nursing home's licence suspended
Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has directed the health officials to suspend the licence of nursing home on Diamond Harbour Road after a person who was not a doctor attended to a pregnant woman, who ultimately suffered a miscarriage. A penal amount of Rs 1 lakh has also been imposed on the nursing home. According to the complaint lodged with the health panel, Alka Roy was taken to Bellona Nursing home in Mominpore with severe abdominal pain at night. At the emergency ward, she was attended to by Avinash Kumar, who introduced himself as a resident medical officer. Kumar prescribed a pain relieving injection and administered it to the expecting mother. She subsequently suffered complications and miscarriage. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "When we got a response from the nursing home, we were taken aback. This Avinash Kumar is not a doctor but an assistant to the medical director of the nursing home, who would check blood pressure of patients," said WBCERC chairperson Justice (retd) Ashim Banerjee. The commission also found that Kumar had prescribed the medicine on a signed letterhead of the medical director. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Historic Cars Every Enthusiast Should Know Undo The medical director said that at that time, he was conducting a procedure in the OT. The health panel said that while not going into whether the injection caused the miscarriage or not, Kumar posing as a doctor, and prescribing and administering an injection itself was a criminal offence. The commission also asked how the medical director could leave blank prescription letterheads bearing his signature which Kumar could access. "We have asked the police to take Kumar into custody and come to a logical conclusion," Banerjee added. Till health officials submit a complete report on the case to the commission, the nursing home has been barred from admitting any new patient. However, it can continue treatment of patients who are already admitted.


Time of India
28-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Hosp to pay 3L to knee-op patient
Kolkata: A hospital on the northern fringes of the city agreed to pay Rs 3 lakh to a man who developed complications after a ligament reconstruction surgery at the facility, on humanitarian grounds. A complaint was lodged with West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission, but the panel did not find negligence on the part of the hospital. According to the complaint, Krishna Kumar Roy from Sodepur, who plays cricket for Eastern Railway, sustained a knee injury during a match last Oct. He was taken to Joint & Brain Care Clinic (JBCC) where he underwent a procedure. He suffered extreme pain after the surgery, for which the hospital gave him conservative treatment. On seeing no improvement in three months, the family went to Vellore where Roy had two surgeries. His parents approached the panel seeking compensation from JBCC, saying they incurred huge expenditure in Vellore. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The panel's orthopaedic expert said such a complication was unfortunate but a known one after such surgeries. "The patient's mother appealed to the hospital for some financial respite as they had to borrow money for the treatment at Vellore. The hospital agreed to give Rs 3 lakh on humanitarian grounds," said Justice (Retd) Ashim Kumar Banerjee, WBCERC chairperson.


Time of India
09-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Hospital fined 1L for treatment refusal in Kolkata
Kolkata: West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission fined a private hospital Rs 1 lakh for failing to explain why a doctor refused to treat an ICU patient. Sanjoy Ghosh was admitted to Woodlands Hospital in April. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He was allegedly left unattended at the emergency for three hours. After his ICU admission, Sunil Baran Ray, a consultant at the hospital, refused to continue treatment. Another doctor, in charge of the ICU, misbehaved with them, Ghosh's family alleged. WBCERC on Wednesday said Woodlands ws asked to conduct an inquiry into both incidents. "We are not satisfied with the explanation offered by the hospital on why the doctor refused to treat the patient. This is unacceptable and unethical. Woodlands tried to evade responsibility," said WBCERC chairperson Justice Ashim Kumar Banerjee. He added that even after the doctor refused to treat the patient, the hospital took no action or made any effort to seek an explanation from the doctor. He said the allegation of misbehaviour has not been proved. A senior Woodlands Hospital official said: "According to the patient's clinical requirement, the treating consultant wanted to transfer him under the care of a nephrologist Woodlands would like to reiterate that since the patient was under joint admission, there was no question of discontinuation of treatment."


Time of India
17-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
90% plaints against private hosps this yr about billing
Kolkata: Around 90% of the 2,058 complaints against private hospitals, nursing homes and other clinical establishments—this works out to be nine out of 10 complaints—that reached the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission this year till May pertain to billing issues. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Most of the complaints we received pertain to billing, making it important to make the billing system transparent. While our order was in the form of an advisory, the govt's move will make it a law," said WBCERC chairperson Ashim Kumar Banerjee. The advisory Banerjee mentioned was the one issued by the health panel in 2020, asking private facilities to set up display boards with details, such as package, rates for OPD, bed, doctor fees. The Bengal govt on Monday moved a bill in the state assembly, seeking to make it mandatory for private health facilities not to inflate their fixed treatment rates, including packages, with hidden charges. The bill says for treatment costs not covered under fixed rates, the patient party must be informed of the possible costs and any rise must be communicated within 24 hours. The bill mandates that the rates must be properly displayed at hospitals and on websites. While private hospitals appreciated the state decision to move to The West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) (Amendment) Bill 2025, they said they hoped it would be practical. "This is a good move by the govt as there needs to be some form of regulation, especially in the billing part so that hidden charges are not extracted from patients," said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Most private hospitals in Kolkata have boards displaying charges on certain packages, bed charges, doctor fees, OPD rates. But hospitals pointed out it was not possible to display all the charges, especially those of tests, that numbered beyond 2,000. "Due to these billing disputes, the public has a negative idea about private hospitals. We are yet to know the nitty-gritty of this move, but such a step towards making transparent billing is welcome," said Subhashis Datta, GM (operations), Ruby General Hospital. In the bill, the state has also tried to address the inordinate delay in issuing or renewing licences to private hospitals, proposing to cap it at 90 days. "We don't want private facilities to suffer for the want of licence renewal unnecessarily. If they don't get a renewed licence from the department within 90 days, it can be extended for 90 more days. This is a temporary measure. We have brought an amendment with more stringent measures, under which the govt will ensure the licence application will be disposed of within the period," said Chandrima Bhattacharya, junior health minister.