COVID-19: Supreme Court notice on plea for mechanism to examine bills of ‘overcharged’ patients
The Hindu
Notice issued to Union of India, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on a plea to set up an audit and scrutiny mechanism of the bills of COVID-19 patients who have accused private hospitals of swindling them.
The Supreme Court has decided to intervene in a plea for a mechanism to probe whether private hospitals fleeced desperate COVID-19 patients and their families, dragging them into financial ruin at the time of their dire need for medical care during the pandemic.
A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has admitted a petition to direct the government to set up a mechanism to examine if private hospitals “overcharged” COVID-19 patients, preferring profit over public health.
The court has issued notice to the Union of India, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on a plea by Abhinav Thapar to set up an audit and scrutiny mechanism of the bills of COVID-19 patients who have accused hospitals of swindling them.