Woman Alleges Hospital Hid Her Husband's Death Until She Cleared The Dues

KEY POINTS

The woman was told about the death three days later
She claims the hospital was waiting for her to pay the bills
She also blamed the hospital for fleecing patients

A case has been filed against a private hospital in India for hiding the death of a COVID-19 patient till the family cleared the bills.

In her complaint, the wife of the deceased man alleged the hospital hid his death from them for three days, reported Times Now News.

The 40-year-old man died due to complications associated with COVID-19 at a hospital in the state of Maharastra on April 21. However, the relatives were informed of the death only on April 24 after the family members paid the amount asked by the hospital, according to the complaint filed in the court Tuesday.

She said the family paid a deposit of Rs 50,000 ($686.74) when he was admitted to the hospital.

"On April 20, he was shifted to the ICU for further treatment. His wife was told to pay Rs 35,000 ($480.72) for injections on April 21. However, she requested more time to arrange the money, following which the hospital asked her to pay by April 24," the official said.

The complainant claimed she had paid ₹40,000 ($549.44) in cash and ₹50,000 ($686.74) via an online transaction on April 24 morning. A few hours after the money was credited, the hospital authorities announced the death to the relatives.

She alleged that the hospital authorities demanded more money from her, a violation of government norms, and refused to provide copies of detailed bills.

The family was shocked when they received the death certificate mentioning the death date as April 21. Although she approached the local police station to file a complaint, they allegedly refused to file a First Information Report (FIR). It was then that the woman moved court, seeking action against the hospital.

"A case has been registered Tuesday against doctors and employees of the hospital under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for forgery and cheating," an official told Hindustan Times.

Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, many private hospitals in India are in the dock for refusing to reveal deaths. Earlier this month, a viral video showed relatives of COVID-19 patients barging into a hospital, to find it empty with neither any doctors nor staff. To their shock, six bodies of patients were also found inside the locked ICU.