HC: Release woman left in hosp for 4 yrs without bill

Kolkata: A homemaker, left disabled from an accident, kept at Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals for nearly four years without payment of bills, which crossed Rs 1 crore, was directed by the Calcutta High Court on Friday to be released without any payment demand, but clarified this order was under "peculiar circumstances" and could not be treated as a precedent.Justice Krishna Rao directed that the woman be discharged within a week and before her discharge, the state authorities must provide a wheelchair to her free of cost. The husband was directed that for future treatment, he would take her to MCH or a govt-run hospital, which would have to take her in and keep her as an indoor patient if need be.The Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals could claim through insurance company if law permits, Justice Rao directed.The woman was admitted at Apollo on Sept 15, 2021, after a two-wheeler accident. She suffered severe traumatic head injury and underwent emergency craniotomy. Her husband could pay only Rs 15,000 and refused to pay the rest of the bill. On Feb 19, 2022, the hospital lodged a complaint against the husband. The total bill from Sept 15, 2021 to Sept 30, 2024 stood at Rs 1,09,03,348. The husband had paid only Rs 15,000 at the time of admission and the insurance company had approved Rs 5,70,000.The report by a committee, formed by the medical superintendent of MCH, stated that the patient did not require any treatment as an indoor patient and the treatment could be provided at home by a trained paramedical staff and change of tracheostomy tube, which might have been required at a gap of around six months. It could be done by a critical care specialist or an ENT surgeon at any hospital.