Two hospitals slapped with hefty fines for refusing free treatment to EWS patients got some relief as the government told the Delhi High Court that it would hear the hospitals afresh on the issue.
Heavy fine
The Delhi High Court set aside the government’s order imposing a fine of Rs. 503 crore on Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, and Rs 17.86 crore on Dharamshila Cancer Hospital. The two hospitals had moved the High Court claiming they were not heard by the government before being punished.
The government told Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva that it has considered the representation of the hospitals and has decided to grant them another hearing.
The hospitals were asked to deposit the amount of unjust enrichment since they had allegedly denied free treatment to poor patients.
The Delhi government had asked four other Delhi-based private hospitals -- Max Super Specialty Hospital (Saket), Shanti Mukand Hospital and Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute -- to deposit “unwarranted profits” they earned from allegedly refusing free treatment to the poor.
During the brief hearing on Tuesday, the Delhi government's counsel told the court that the special committee would hear the hospital authorities on August 17.
The health department had earlier told the court that the hospitals were provided land at concessional rates between 1960 and 1990 on the condition that they will treat the poor free of cost, but they did not abide by it.
As many as 43 private hospitals in Delhi were allotted land at concessional rates on the condition that they will keep 10 per cent of their in-patient department capacity and 25 per cent of out-patient department capacity to treat economically weaker section patients free of cost.
