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Private hospitals in West Bengal cannot charge patients more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or a maximum of Rs 50,000 at the time of admission, as per a new directive of the state government, a senior official said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC), in a notification, also said private hospitals should not refuse admission or treatment if payment was not made immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter due deliberation and careful consideration, it is decided that clinical establishments would not be entitled to demand more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or a maximum amount of Rs 50,000 whichever is less, at the time of admission,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
In case the patient is not in a position to deposit the required amount at the time of admission, the hospital would grant provisional admission and provide necessary treatment, the notification said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the admission would be regularised upon the deposit of the amount within a period of 12 hours. In case the deposit is not made within the time stipulated, the hospital would be at liberty to cancel the provisional admission…,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
In another advisory, the commission asked hospitals to intimate patients regarding billing on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
Henceforth, all investigations amounting above Rs 2,000 should be done with prior intimation to the patient and his family members, it said. PTI SCH RBT RBT<\/p>\n
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