Expressing anguish over the gross misconduct a patient goes through in a private hospital, a 25-year-old woman on social media revealed how her mother was harassed and denied proper post-operative treatment due to the non-payment of medical fees at an Uttarakhand hospital earlier this month.
In a Facebook post published on July 12th, Nikita Bishnoi wrote how the staff and the operating doctor of Shri Krishna Hospital in Kashipur refused to treat her 49-year-old ailing mother, Nirupama Bishnoi, due to a pending fee of Rs 4,000 when the latter went to the hospital to get her stitches after undergoing a hernia surgery.
‘Humiliated over a petty amount’
“My mother was humiliated over a petty amount and was asked to not step foot at the hospital in the future and she didn’t even receive any post-operative medicine which has left her in huge trauma and pain,” she told InUth.
She further said that on the day of the surgery her father was abruptly called in the operation theatre and informed that he has to pay some Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 in addition to the Rs 34,200 covered by insurance for the operation.
“Yesterday she went to the doctor to get her stitches cut where she was made tolie down on the hospital bed and her bandages were opened. After this, all of a sudden the nurses jibed her to leave since Rs. 4000 were running short in the hospital payment. My ailing mother was humiliated badly by the hospital staff. She was in huge pain and barely able to walk,” she wrote in the post.
“The Doctor in the other room shouted and called my mother in his room. He did not give her a place to sit or lie down and instead insulted her badly and threatened her never to step in his hospital ever again and completely refused to give her any further treatment,” the post further said. “If the remaining money wasn’t covered by the insurance company then the hospital staff should have given us a proper bill of that additional expense and we would have definitely paid it,” Nikita added.
Hospital staff rejects allegations
The hospital staff, however, rejected Nikita’s statements, steering clear of any such incident taking place with regard to the said patient. Dr. Mayank Krishan Agarwal, Laparoscopic Surgeon at the hospital, whom Ms. Bishnoi alleges of misbehaving with her mother denied any such incident taking place saying that the patient went home satisfied after getting post-operative treatment.
“No harassment took place as I simply asked them to pay the remaining amount first before getting the stitches removed as it was due since the surgery that took place a week ago and they had received enough reminders,” he told InUth.
He further said that it was his right to ask for the fee before operating the patient otherwise it would be a loss for the hospital. “A high-priced mesh was fitted in the patient and I have simply asked for its complete clearance. After the payment Ms. Nirupama left healthy but hasn’t got checked for post-operative medicines,” he
added.
‘Facebook post completely exaggerated’
Pradip Chaudhary, the administrator of the hospital, said the Facebook post is completely exaggerated as the patient’s family paid the remaining amount finally while getting her stitches cut. “The patient had a pre-fixed surgery package and was already informed about the additional Rs 4,000 that have to be paid but in spite of several warnings since the surgery, her family refused to pay that.”
Sagar Mehrotra, who handles the insurance desk of the hospital, echoed similar views saying that the patient was pre-informed about the expensive mesh that insurance might fail to fully cover and the extra amount that she has to bear. “I took the Ms. Nirupama’s husband to pay the remaining fee while her stitches were being cut and everything went on smoothly without any inconvenience,” he said.
(Written by Arnabjit Sur)
