Private hospital detains patient’s son for failing to clear bills

Hameed Ashraf | NT
Bengaluru

In a shocking incident, a private hospital in Bengaluru not only slapped an excess bill to a patient but also had the patient’s son locked up in a police station when they failed to pay the medical bill.

Things went awry for the family of a 55-year old auto-rickshaw driver, Asghar Sharif, when a hospital at KG Halli slapped a bill of Rs 2.07 lakh that the family could not afford. Later, acting on a complaint from the hospital, the police locked up the patient’s son, Salman Sharif.

Asghar Sharif’s wife told News Trail said that her husband was admitted to the hospital on May 18 as he was suffering from severe wheezing attacks. “The doctors said that he (patient) needed oxygen and we managed to arrange Rs 70,000 with much difficulty,” She said. The family had also paid Rs 40,000 towards hospital charges.

However, the family was shocked when they were asked to pay Rs 2,07,050 by the hospital authorities at the time of discharge. When checked, it was found that exorbitant charges had been levied by the hospital.

“We requested the management to reduce the charges as the amount was unaffordable for us. But the hospital did not listen to our plea and filed a complaint with the KG Halli police station. Later, police officials took my son to the station,” Sharif’s wife said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Bheemashankar S Guled, said that based on a complaint from the hospital, Salman was taken to the police station to record his statement. The boy was set free the next day, he said.

Salman said the police made him sit at the station for more than 24 hours before asking him to go and clear the hospital bills.

A medical practitioner, who checked the bill, confirmed that the bills were exorbitant. The hospital charged Rs 32,000 for 121 hours of oxygen in a single day. It charged Rs 10,000 for the BiPAP machine, which actually cost Rs 2,500.

Salman mailed a copy of the bills to the Karnataka health minister and other officials in the health department.

Meanwhile, Sharif’s wife said the police have warned her son to clear the bills at the earliest. “My son and I are trying to arrange money to get my husband discharged from the hospital,” she said.