CHENNAI: For all the imposition that certain hospitals can place on patients, here's one that appears to have got its comeuppance.
Censuring a hospital in Chennai for being unfair in charging a patient for a scan even though he died before it could be performed, a
district consumer disputes redressal forum
directed it to pay the man's son around 38,000 as compensation.
Underlining a
Supreme Court precedent, the forum noted once a patient is hospitalised, it is the responsibility of the facility's doctors to provide him with the best service they can.
Complainant T Senthilkumar said he had on October 12, 2014 admitted his father, E Jegannathan, to
Sri Balaji Medical College
and Hospital, Chromepet. The next day, doctors at the hospital said his father required a scan. Senthilkumar paid 3,120, but his father died a few hours later, before the hospital could perform the scan.
Hospital officials refused to return the money they had taken for the scan when Senthilkumar asked for a refund. He even made a representation to the hospital's chief doctor.
When nothing came of his requests, Senthilkumar moved the district consumer disputes redressal forum, Chengalpet, to seek compensation from N Elamaran, the hospital's MD. Elamaran argued that he was an engineer and the son-in-law of the hospital's founder but was not concerned with the hospital's administration. Citing the hospital's failure to provide any evidence to counter Senthilkumar's argument, a bench of president K Sivananthajothi and members K Prameela and D
Babu Varadharajan
said documents proved the hospital refused to pay a refund though it did not perform any scan.
"Officials at the hospital were more money-minded than human," the bench said.
It directed the hospital to pay the scan charge of 3,120, compensation of 30,000 for causing mental agony and 5,000 as case costs.