These hospitals have been banned from treating coronavirus cases due to overcharging

The pandemic which has disrupted our lives in every possible way has also brought in the opportunity to reshape the healthcare system in the country. However, even with proper governance and adequate measures by the civic body, several hospitals across Mumbai have been overcharging the patients that have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

On July 29, the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation banned the Galaxy Hospital in Mira road from treating COVID-19 patients. This comes after multiple complaints were registered by the patients who stated that the Galaxy Hospital was overcharging the people who visited the hospital for treatment. The Municipal Corporation has also asserted that the overcharged amount will be recovered for the people by the civic body.

Moreover, Kalyan-Dombivali also banned the A&G hospital at Suchak Naka to treat COVID-19 cases as it charged exorbitant amount from the patients. Furthermore, its license is to be suspended until it refunds the excess amount of money.

Earlier, four private hospitals in Borivali was asked to stop treating cases of coronavirus following multiple complaints of the patients being overcharged. Bhagyashree Kapse, assistant municipal commissioner of R-Central ward, in a statement, said that the BMC had stopped operations at the Apex hospital located at the Chandavarkar Road as well as Babhai, Mangal Murti Hospital in Gorai and the Dhanashri Hospital in Borivali from treating patients suffering from the contagious disease.

The BMC had earlier launched a crackdown on Mumbai's private hospitals for swindling the patients suffering from the coronavirus. The CMO had revealed that the BMC had appointed an auditor to look into the complaints issued by patients accusing private hospitals of overcharging them during their treatment for COVID-19.

As per the report, the civic body had initiated a refund of ₹1.47 crores for the patients who had been overcharged covering over 1,125 complaints by the people. Under these 37 hospitals had been brought under the scanner and the total inflation in the billing was a little over 10 per cent at ₹14.01 crore.

The lack of transparency propagated by the private hospitals has further made the situation worse as the patients are left to deal with hefty bills with no clear understanding of what they are paying for.