Rs 36 crore refunded by hospitals for overcharging COVID-19 patients: Maha govt

Mumbai: Hospitals in Maharashtra have so far refunded Rs 36 crore to COVID-19 patients after being found to have overcharged, health minister Rajesh Tope told the Legislative Council on Thursday.

He was responding to a question by the BJP’s Sadabhau Khot on whether hospitals were found to have overcharged COVID-19 patients and what action was taken by the government in such cases.

”The state government has received 63,398 complaints against hospitals which were not empaneled by the state government for COVID-19 treatment. Out of it, 56,994 cases have been resolved and refund of Rs 35,18,39,061 has been given to the patients or their kin,” the reply said.

“The state also received another 2,081 complaints against hospitals which were empaneled by the government for treating COVID-19 patients under various health schemes. Out of it, 774 cases have been resolved and refund Rs 1,20,66,168 was given,” Tope said.

To another question, the health minister said, “The government has recovered fine of Rs 61.34 lakh from 234 blood banks for not keeping their data updated. There are 350 blood banks in the state.” The fine was collected between January and October this year. ”There is a standing instruction to every blood bank to keep its blood availability data updated on its portal. If the data is not updated, Rs 1,000 per day is the fine,” Tope said.

At the national level, average blood wastage is 5 per cent but it is 1.2 per cent in Maharashtra which is satisfactory, he added.