Parents of 8-year-old dengue patient file complaint against Gurugram's Medanta hospital for bill of Rs 15.88 lakh

After Fortis Hospital in Gurugram charged an exorbitant bill of Rs 18 lakh from the family of a seven-year-old girl, who died of dengue, another case has emerged with Medanta — The Medicity, a multispeciality hospital, also from Gurugram, charging Rs 15 lakhs from the family of an eight-year-old for the treatment of dengue, reports said. The child died in this case as well.

Gurugram Police said on Saturday that it has received a complaint from the parents of an eight-year-old boy, who died of dengue shock syndrome, against Medanta. The parents alleged that Medanta — The Medicity overcharged them for the treatment of their child, The Indian Express reported.

Gurugram Police PRO Ravinder Kumar told ANI that the complaint was received at Sadar police station on Friday. He further said that the complainant alleged their child, suffering from dengue, was admitted to Medanta hospital in Gurugram and a huge bill penalty was imposed on them.

The father of the child said that his son was in the hospital for 21 days and they were given a bill of Rs 15.88 lakh. He also accused the hospital of looting them in the name of treatment.

The father added that when the doctors at Medanta felt that the child's condition is such that he can no longer be kept there, they pushed the family to shift him to a government hospital. The parents took him to RML Hospital, where he died.

The hospital, however, maintains that the parents took the child to another hospital against medical advice, The Indian Express report stated.

The medical superintendent of Medanta also said that the child was given the best possible treatment. "He was given adequate treatment based on his condition and was then transferred to RML. We are not aware of any (police) complaint in this matter. However, we will fully cooperate with any investigating agency," Hindustan Times quoted AK Dubey, medical superintendent, Medanta-The Medicity, as saying.

The police, Hindustan Times reported, has initiated investigation and will send a copy of the complaint to the chief medical officer, Gurugram, before filing an FIR.

Earlier, the parents of a seven-year-old girl alleged that they were allowed to take their daughter's dead body from Fortis Hospital in Gurugram after paying an exorbitant bill of Rs 18 lakh. The parents of the deceased alleged that the hospital staff kept their daughter on ventilator for three days even after she had stopped responding to the treatment. Union health minister JP Nadda had also called for details of the case.