Several private hospitals in Karachi are fearlessly making bucks by fleecing patients through different hidden charges and unnecessary medical treatments. Although a number of cases of maltreatment that claimed many lives were reported in private hospitals, the government has failed to prevent the mushroom growth of these substandard private hospitals.
In the absence of Health Commission Bill (HCB) that is supposed to protect the rights of doctors and patients, these private hospitals are busy in exploiting patients in the name of medical treatment. People, who prefer to approach private hospitals to get better healthcare due to lack of facilities and lethargic attitude in government-run hospitals, are also being swindled through different hidden charges and unnecessary medical treatments.
Talking to Business Recorder, Burhanuddin, a salaried man, whose mother was suffering from breast cancer and was admitted in Saifee Hospital in North Nazimabad for last 10 days, expressed resentment over the attitude of the management of the hospital. He said the management at the time of her admission hid information pertaining to different charges from him but included the same in the bill on her discharge.
He said the hospital had adopted novel approach to fleece the patients as the management was separately charging 10 percent paramedical service charge on aggregated bill. Burhan further said that he had a bill of over Rs 100 thousand on which the management of Saifee Hospital collected paramedical service charges at the rate of 10 percent.
"However, these paramedical service charges are collected in other private hospitals at fix rate and some hospitals include the same in its hospital services. Therefore, the administrator of Saifee Hospital Nooruddin Rajab was also approached to get the bill rectified but he did not pay any heed to his plea," he regretted.
When contacted, Nooruddin Rajab confirmed that the management was charging paramedical services on aggregated bill and described it as policy of the hospital. He alleged that two private hospitals, which are being run under the supervision of federal and provincial ministers, were charging unprecedented medical fees with impunity.
He said the management of Saifee Hospital did not offer any discount in pharmacy and medical treatment as it was a trust hospital and provide best medical services to the patients. Sources, however, said the things in private hospitals are not as good as they should have been. They said that several private hospitals were used to recruit quacks on low wages with no experience. Therefore, sometimes these so-called doctors fail to treat patients. They said fluids, which are supposed to be given to those patients, who are unable to take something orally, are unnecessarily being given in several private hospitals.
Moreover, the sources said these private hospitals despite charging the rates of genuine medicine use substandard and spurious medicines to get more financial benefits. Saleem, an official of Liaquat National Hospital (LNH), dispelled the impression that the LNH includes hidden charges in the bill at the time of discharge, saying that the management of LNH always provides detailed information before admission of a patient.
Zafar, an official of Patel Hospital, said the hospital charged specific amount on account of paramedical services and termed it unethical and illogical to charge the same on aggregated bill. Meanwhile, accounts officer of Ziauddin Hospital Raza and Babar, billing officer of Dar-ul-Sahat hospital said several private hospitals were being run only for profits and charging high medical fees, despite having inadequate facilities.
They said these private hospitals did not allow any patient to get his/her case history for further consultation with any other doctor besides pressurising the family of the patients through different means, if they asked for the same. Dr Qaiser Sajjad, finance secretary of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), said the absence of Health law in the country has caused such problems for patients and doctors as well.
He said the PMA that had drafted the HCB to facilitate the masses, has been moving from pillar to post for long to get the bill promulgated. But the drafted bill, which was presented to the Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmad in 2009, was not presented in the assembly for approval with the best reason known to concerned minister and officials.