Four doctors at Chakan hospital booked for overcharging family of deceased Covid patient

Police officials said that four doctors, including two women, have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to cheating, criminal breach of trust and disobeying the order of a public servant.

Four doctors at a private hospital in Chakan have been booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust after an audit revealed that the family of a patient, who had died of Covid-19 in September last year, was charged an excess of Rs 2.5 lakh in the bill and the hospital did not return the excess amount in spite of repeated communication.

An FIR in the case has been registered at Chakan police station by Dr Nanda Dhawale, who is the medical superintendent at Chakan Rural Hospital. The case pertains to treatment of a patient who had been admitted at a private hospital in the first week of September after he tested Covid positive. During treatment, the patient passed away 15 days after the date of admission.

Assistant Police Inspector Prakash Rathod of Chakan police station, who is probing the case, said, “After the death of the patient, the family was charged a certain amount. While the kin paid it, they suspected that the hospital had overcharged them. They approached the government-run rural hospital with a complaint. An auditor was appointed to look into the allegations. The audit revealed that the hospital had allegedly charged Rs 2.5 lakh excess than the charges laid down by the prevailing government norms. The hospital was repeatedly asked to pay the excess amount to relatives, failing which an offence has been registered against the four doctors. Our probe is on.”

The FIR was registered at Chakan police station on Saturday. Police officials said that four doctors, including two women, have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to cheating, criminal breach of trust and disobeying the order of a public servant.

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