25 hospitals in Maha took 1 crore in excess from COVID-19 patients

THANE: An audit report by Thane Municipal Corporation revealed that 25 private hospitals in Thane have overcharged COVID-19 patients a total of Rs 1.14 crore for the treatment. The civic body has given notice to 22 hospitals asking them to repay the ‘excess amount’ to patients, or face legal action.

Three hospitals of the total 25 have already repaid their part to the patients and the rest 22 hospitals have overcharged the patients from a minimum of Rs 50 to a maximum of Rs 29 lakhs. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena warned of a protest after patients complained about overcharging by private hospitals. After this, the Thane civic body set-up an audit team to analyse the ‘excess’ bill in which the hospitals allegedly mentioned different treatment compared to the normal treatment protocol so as to inflate the bills.