Family accuses hospital of overcharging, lack of transparency; police say no formal complaint yet
A massive protest erupted at a private hospital in Sector 49 after the death of a 20-year-old CNG auto-rickshaw driver, with the victim’s family alleging that the hospital continued billing even after he had died. The incident has triggered outrage over alleged medical overcharging and lack of communication by hospital authorities.
The deceased, a resident of Sector 66, had met with an accident on Monday and was rushed to the hospital’s emergency ward. He remained under treatment for three days before his death was reported to the family.
Family Alleges Overcharging and No Clarity on Death
According to the victim’s father, the hospital failed to provide a clear explanation regarding the cause of death and continued to levy charges under multiple heads.
“When we requested to transfer him to another hospital, the management informed us that he had already passed away. The billing kept increasing and crossed ₹5 lakh. We were not given any proper explanation,” he told PTI.
The family claims that the charges continued until Wednesday evening, raising serious concerns about alleged unethical billing practices.
Protest Erupts, Police Intervene
Angered by the situation, family members and locals staged a protest inside the hospital premises, which later spilled onto the road, causing disruption for nearly an hour.
Police personnel reached the spot and attempted to pacify the protesters. Efforts were also made to contact the hospital management, but officials were reportedly unavailable.
Suresh Kumar, Additional SHO of Sadar police station, stated, “We have not received any formal complaint yet. The protesters were calmed down and sent home.”
Postmortem Conducted, Body Handed Over
The body of the deceased was sent for postmortem examination on Thursday to ascertain the exact cause of death. It was later handed over to the family.
Rising Concerns Over Medical Accountability
The incident has once again highlighted growing concerns over transparency, billing practices, and accountability in private healthcare institutions. Cases of alleged overcharging and negligence continue to spark public anger, with demands for stricter regulation and monitoring.
Authorities are expected to take further action if a formal complaint is filed by the family.
