Med panel to ban loan firms at hospitals

Kolkata: A day after the health commission pulled up a private hospital for getting a patient’s daughter in touch with a finance company to clear hospital dues, the panel on Thursday decided to issue an official communication to stop such financial companies functioning from private hospital premises.

“We decided that such loan agencies cannot be allowed to set shop on private hospitals premises,” said Justice (retd) Ashim Kumar Banerjee, chairman, West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC).

TOI on Thursday reported about the case where daughter of a 61-year-old patient was allegedly denied treatment under Swasthya Sathi by a hospital off EM Bypass. Admitted as cash patient after an initial cash deposit, the woman was handed a bill of Rs 2 lakh at the end of treatment. She was told that the approval for the Swasthya Sathi had not come.

When the complainant said she did not have the fund to clear the dues, she was allegedly directed to the finance company. She cleared the dues with loan from that agency. She lodged complaint with the commission after the incident. The commission has not named the hospital and it has given the hospital 15 days to resolve the issue with the complainant.

“We understand outsourcing of pharmacies and diagnostic units as some smaller nursing homes might not have the fund for such facilities. But we cannot allow private loan agencies to set shop on premises of private hospitals. We are taking all efforts to stop this. We will also ask the police to keep strict vigil on such activities in hospitals,” added Banerjee.