Kolkata: Lazim Khan had brought his mother, Laila Bibi, to Desun Hospital, a Covid-dedicated facility, from another private hospital after she tested positive with the hope that she would receive quality treatment, knowing little that the move would claim her life and that too for not depositing an additional sum of Rs 20,000 as demanded by the authorities. The family members of the deceased, Laila Bibi, alleged that the hospital refused to admit the patient as they failed to pay Rs 3 lakh which the hospital demanded at the time of admission. However, according to the deceased family members they managed to pay Rs 2.80 lakh but the hospital had allegedly demanded Rs 3 lakh at the time of admission itself, else they said that they would not be able to start treatment. The family members further alleged that the patient eventually died in the ambulance on Tuesday morning. They had been waiting for the hospital authorities to admit Bibi from, allegedly, Monday night. The family members of the elderly woman who died of Covid, has now brought charges against the glaring medical negligence of Desun Hospital saying that the patient was denied admission as they failed to pay the amount the hospital authorities had demanded from them at the time of admission. The incident has created a sensation as to how a private hospital which was declared as Covid hospital by the government can ask for a huge amount of money at the time of admission. The deceaseds son Lazim Khan alleged that he paid Rs 80,000 instantly and had urged the hospital to start treatment on Monday night itself when the patient was taken to the hospital. The family members paid another Rs 2 lakh on Tuesday morning but even then Bibi was not admited as the family had not paid the entire amount of Rs 3 lakh. Bibi died waiting in the ambulance. Later the deceased kin lodged a complaint at Anandapur police station. The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) had issued a fresh advisory to the private hospitals last Saturday instructing them to admit patients and treat them even if they fail to deposit the required amount at the time of admission. The WBCERC found some private hospitals are demanding huge amounts of money in advance during admission of patients who have no health insurance. This often creates a burden on the patients and their family members. The advisory says that the patients can deposit money within 12 hours from admission. The commission had fixed an amount of advance payment in cases other than acute emergency. Private hospitals would not be entitled to demand more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or maximum amount of Rs 50,000 whichever is less at the time of admission, the advisory says. The woman was admitted to a private hospital at Park Circus with some ailments. As she was found Covid positive, the patient was transferred to the Desun Hospital on Monday night. It was alleged that the Desun Hospital authorities demanded the hefty amount of admission and the patient was kept inside the ambulance for a long time where she eventually died. A senior official of the hospital was unavailable for comment despite repeated calls.

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