Bhubaneswar: There will be unscrupulous people in all professions and the healthcare sector is no exception to the rule. It has been alleged that some hospitals in the city are minting money by admitting non-Covid patients in ICUs even when they are not infected by the virus.
Nayagarh’s Santosh Mishra is a case in point. Family members of Santosh (60) got him admitted to a private hospital in Nayapalli area in this city May 5. He had developed lungs-related problem.
As per rule, he was admitted after his COVID-19 test was conducted at the hospital. Authorities informed the family members that his RT-PCR test report has turned out to be positive and that he had to undergo treatment in the ICU. The family members deposited an amount of Rs 1,00,000 for his treatment.
However, Santosh passed away Sunday morning. When the family members wanted to take the body for compensation, they were asked to deposit a further Rs 60,000. They were also informed that the patient had tested negative for Covid-19.
This piece of information irked Santosh’s family members. They demanded an explanation from the hospital authorities as to why Santosh was put in the ICU if he was not suffering from Covid-19. They alleged that the government assistance they would have received in case of treatment for COVID-19 would now be denied to them.
After getting information, Nayapalli police station IIC Sharat Sahu reached the hospital and tried to pacify the angry relatives.
According to the IIC, the deceased’s sample was sent to a hospital for testing. However, the report was unavailable as the AADHAR card number had not been attached to the sample. Meanwhile, a hospital staff by mistake told the family members that Santosh’s report was positive. However, later it turned out to be negative.
A similar incident was also reported from a private hospital in Laxmisagar area.
Locals are now demanding that a system be put in place which will prevent hospitals from ‘fleecing’ distressed people.
PNN