In what seems like another healthcare gaffe, a hospital in Noida handed over a bill amounting to more than a lakh, to the father of the deceased girl.

Special Correspondent

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gautam Buddh Nagar has ordered an inquiry after Fortis Hospital in Noida charged a massive amount reaching over of Rs one lakh for keeping a 20-year-old woman under observation for four hours.

On November 21, patient Shweta who was a resident of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was brought in at around 1 am and her case was being handled by the neurology department of the hospital.

Fortis Hospital, Noida, conducted several medical tests and many samples were taken. Shweta was kept under observation for four hours.

The 20-year-old passed away at around 5.20 am. After she passed away, her father who is a farmer, was handed over the bill of Rs 1,02,673.

Special Correspondent

From the copy of the bill, it becomes evident that Shweta's father had deposited Rs 10,000 and a balance of Rs 92,673 was due when he received the bill.

"My daughter died and for just four hours, they charged over Rs one lakh. I cannot afford it and I hope that the concerned authority takes a note of this," said Juginder Singh the father of the deceased girl.

Singh alleged that when he told the hospital staff that he will raise this issue before the concerned authorities, they offered him a sum of around Rs 20,000 to keep mum.

Hospitals in India have been on some strange spree of goofing up with lives and money of people lately.

Be it the case of the deceased seven-year-old whose parents were charged Rs 16 lakh for dengue treatment by Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon or the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bhagh, New Delhi, which declared a living baby dead, the incidents continue to rake up and reek of shame and irresponsibility when it comes to healthcare in India.

Patients and social welfare activists demand separate law to check excessive billing and fix liability of Healthcare Industry.