Minister K Sudhakar ends bill dispute, helps Rajasthan family get Covid victim's body from hospital

Bengaluru: Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar's timely intervention has resulted in amicable settlement of dispute between a city hospital and the relatives of a Covid-19 victim.

The body of Rajasthan-based Bhimram Patel who succumbed recently at Manipal Hospital in Jayanagar had been a matter of contention between the hospital and family members of the deceased over medical treatment bill.

The family of the deceased alleged that the hospital had demanded exorbitant fee for the treatment though the patient did not survive even 40 days after his stay in the hospital. They further said that the hospital lied that the patient was cured of the virus. They questioned how could the deceased carry the virus even after 40-day treatment as the postmortem report mentioned the presence of coronavirus? Following the dispute, the body of the patient who died on the morning of 23 December, was not handed over to the relatives.

The minister, who was informed of the incident the same evening, contacted the management. The hospital administration explained that there was no fault on its part and that according to the regulations the body should be handed over through BBMP and gave the details of payment dues.

Following the instructions from the minister, the bill was cleared by the insurance company and son of the deceased. The body was handed over to the family according to Covid19 regulations on Thursday. The hospital waived bill amount to the tune of Rs 10 lakh.