Congress Accuses Virinchi Hospital Of Cheating

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) today accused corporate hospitals in general, and Virinchi Hospital in particular, of looting patients and their relatives.

Led by TPCC Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, a team of Congress leaders including Sameer Waliullah, Mohammed Riyaz and others today visited Virinchi Hospital at Banjara Hills to inquire into a complaint of a hefty bill presented to a patient. They met the hospital authorities and asked them to explain the reasons behind the exorbitant amounts charged for regular services.

The authorities sought four days to come up with a detailed reply, and assured the leaders that they would rectify the mistakes, if any.

Speaking to mediapersons later, Abdullah Sohail said that Virinchi was not the only hospital which was being accused of exorbitant billing, and that this was a common complaint about all the corporate and private hospitals.

"These corporate and private hospitals have turned into centres of extortion. Their billing methods are completely illogical, and amount to open cheating. They are playing with the sentiments of patients and their relatives," he claimed.

Abdullah Sohail alleged that when a patient visited a corporate hospital, he or she was charged Rs 500 towards consultation fee, which was valid for a week. If the patient visited the hospital again within the week, he would get admitted, and the doctor would charge him Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 per visit. Besides, more specialists would visit the patient to collect consultation fees. The hospital also collected nursing charges again from the patients.

He also said that while the rental charge for an oxygen cylinder hired at home was Rs 300 per day, corporate hospitals were charging anything between Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,000 per day.

For normal malaria or dengue cases, Virinchi was charging nearly Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 for four to five days, Abdullah Sohail said. In serious diseases, the medical bill could shoot up to Rs 1 lakh per day, he said, adding that exorbitant bills of corporate hospitals had ruined thousands of families.

"People who might have saved money for their children's education or daughter's weddings are being forced to clear hospital bills. I urge the State government to regulate the corporate and private hospitals," he said. He threatened to launch an agitation against the 'healthcare mafia' if things didn't change soon.