Pune: ‘Anger assembly’ discusses overcharging by private hospitals for Covid cases

After receiving widespread complaints of overcharging by private hospitals during Covid-19, the Corona Ekal Mahila Punarvasan Samiti and Jan Arogya Abhiyan, Pune, held a meeting – called the ‘Santap Sabha’ (anger assembly) — at S M Joshi Foundation in Pune.

Specific findings from a state-level survey on hospital overcharging, pertaining to Pune district, were shared during the function. In the recent survey jointly conducted by Corona Ekal Mahila Punarvasan Samiti and Jan Arogya Abhiyan, it was apparent that many private hospitals in Pune and many other districts had flouted the government’s order and charged Covid patients much beyond the regulated rates, coordinators of both the large networks, including Kajal Jain and Usha Wakhare, said on Friday.

They said concerned authorities in Pune should promptly trace all families of Covid-19 patients, who have complaints of unjustified charging by private hospitals, audit their bills, and ensure the refund of overcharged amounts within a month.