Referring to recent cases of alleged over-charging and medical negligence, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday that the government would work on a “legal framework” to curb “loot” and “criminal negligence” of private hospitals.
Speaking at an event at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Mr. Kejriwal said there was a need to take strict action against negligent hospitals.
‘Looting patients’
He referred to the recent incident where a newborn baby was found to be alive after being declared dead by Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh on November 30, as well as to Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, which charged ₹16 lakh to treat a seven-year-old dengue patient who eventually died.
“There are some private hospitals that don’t hesitate to loot patients or indulge in criminal negligence. The government does not want to interfere in the private sector but if there is loot or criminal negligence, we will have to,” said the CM.
Citing the government’s action against private schools, Mr. Kejriwal said the move had been successful in preventing schools from charging arbitrarily high fees.
He said that prior to the AAP government taking power in 2015, there was a growing trend of privatisation of schools and hospitals, with the government neglecting its own schools and hospitals.
Also at the event, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the government would develop five more institutes like Maulana Azad as well as 100 dental clinics to improve dental healthcare in the city.
