Now Reading: Allahabad High Court flags huge disparity in private hospital charges
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Allahabad High Court flags huge disparity in private hospital charges
The Story in Brief
The Story in Brief
The Allahabad High Court has flagged a "huge disparity" in private hospital charges and called for stronger regulation from the Centre and state governments to protect patients from exorbitant bills. A Lucknow bench of justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla, hearing a public interest litigation by NGO We The People, noted that the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, does not ensure uniformity in charges. The court has sought district-wise details of hospitals set up on subsidised land and whether the National Council of Clinical Establishments is functioning. The next hearing is on September 21.
The Indian Opinion
The court's plea for fee regulation may sound just, but the real issue is enforcement. The 2010 Act already mandates rate display and state oversight. Yet patients still get fleeced. The September 21 hearing will test if the Uttar Pradesh government can show inspections, a functional State Council, and a working grievance mechanism. If they can't, the law itself needs fixing, not just more rules.
Sources (3): ndtv.com, ndtv.com (2), indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
Ashin Xavier: interesting
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IO Repro: Repro test after fix 2 Oct. Safe to trash.