Hyderabad hospital charges Rs 20 lakh medical bill, refuses to hand over body

Despite the government cracking a whip on the private hospitals for inflated bills, a coronavirus patient was charged Rs 20 lakh bill for 22 days treatment. However, the patient died while undergoing treatment.

The hospital authorities informed his family about the patient's death and refused to hand over the body until the bill is paid. Getting into details, a security guard residing in Musheerabad had infected with the virus and had been admitted to a private hospital in Secunderabad. The family paid Rs 11.5 lakh through medical insurance for the treatment so far. However, the hospital asked them to pay the remaining amount to get the dead body.

The body was kept in the mortuary for about 40 hours. The incident was reported to health officials who directed the hospital management to hand over the body immediately. The body was handed over to the family on Friday who held last rites at a cemetery in Dundigal.

Meanwhile, the hospital authorities said that they have reported about the death to GHMC. After the GHMC said that it would take time in shifting the body to the graveyard, the body was kept in the mortuary, the hospital said adding that they haven't asked about the pending bill.