Two hospitals slapped with ₹46-cr fine for turning away EWS patients

DGHS issues notices for ₹36 crore and ₹10 crore for violating conditions in DDA lease for hospital land

October 17, 2017 01:34 am | Updated 01:34 am IST - NEW DELHI

An Indian man suffering from fever waits to get examined by a doctor at a fever clinic for dengue run by a government hospital in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. India's capital struggles with its worst outbreak of the dengue fever in five years. Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease are reported every year after the monsoon season that runs from June to September. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

An Indian man suffering from fever waits to get examined by a doctor at a fever clinic for dengue run by a government hospital in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. India's capital struggles with its worst outbreak of the dengue fever in five years. Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease are reported every year after the monsoon season that runs from June to September. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Two private hospitals in the city have been asked to pay the profits they earned on services that should have been free for economically weaker section (EWS) patients, according to notices issued by the Delhi government’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recently.

Free service

As per the notices, the hospitals had failed to reserve 25% of the beds and provide free out patient services to EWS patients, which were conditions of the the lease or allotment of the land by the Delhi Development Authority.

The notices were issued based on orders of the High Court, which had been hearing a case against 20 hospitals for not providing free care to EWS patients.

Lawyer Ashok Agarwal, whose NGO Social Jurist was the petitioner, said that the High Court had ordered recovery of the “unjustified earning” in 2002, but the hospitals had moved court against that. In June 2016, the government had issued recovery notices. Now, the government has again issued notices after the High Court refused to give a stay.

In the notice to Shanti Mukund Hospital, the DGHS sought to recover ₹36,30,58,938 “on account of unwarranted profit”. The hospital, set up in 1995, was given 6,852.64 square metre land by the DDA at the institutional area near Karkardooma village.

Month’s time

The notice to Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute, run by the Laxmipati Singhania Medical Foundation, sought ₹10,60,80,983. The foundation had been allotted 2 acres of land on Sheikh Sarai Marg by the DDA in 1990 with free treatment of EWS patients being one of the conditions, as per the notice.

The hospitals have been given a month to deposit the amount, failing which they would face action, the notices said.

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