Hospital replies to Sena MLA’s viral clip on 6 lakh dengue bill in Samabhajinagar

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A private hospital in the city has responded strongly to a now-viral audio clip in which Shiv Sena's Kalamnuri MLA, Santosh Bangar, is heard asking if ‘amrut' was given to a girl whose family was charged a bill of Rs 6 lakh for her dengue treatment.
Representatives of MGH Hospital claimed the girl's family was fully aware of the charges and that they had approached Bangar at the time of discharge to "put pressure" on the hospital. "The MLA has defamed the hospital by making these objectionable comments out of sheer ignorance," said MGM Hospital's Dr Anand Nikalje, adding that the patient was allowed to leave without paying the bill.
"We brought her back from the jaws of death. Her relatives knew of our efforts. Only at the time of discharge did they contact the MLA to exert pressure on the hospital," Dr Nikalje said.
Hospital management said the 13-year-old girl from Hingoli district — where Bangar is from — was admitted on March 28 with serious dengue symptoms and was discharged on April 10. "She received treatment for 11 days. She was in ICU for nine days of which seven were on ventilator support. She was seriously ill. The girl also needed Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy, which is expensive," a hospital official said, adding that the family were kept informed about line of treatment and expenses. "When the girl recovered, her family even thanked our doctors and nurses. But during billing, they tried to exert pressure on us via the MLA," Dr Nikalje said. MGM Hospital's dean, Dr Rajendra Bohara, said Bangar's behavior had set the wrong precedent and would make it difficult for doctors to do their job.
Bangar could not be reached for comments.
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