Senior citizen has spent seven months admitted there with no sign of improvement; family serves notice blaming hospital for botching treatment and racking up Rs 26 lakh bill
When mid-day visited in October, Chanchal was given a deluxe room of 150 sq ft
Seven months ago, when her children took her to Breach Candy Hospital for treatment, 74-year-old Chanchal Jain could not have imagined that she would still be lying there after all this time, with no visible improvement in her health. Outraged by the fact that their mother’s health has only become worse but somehow the hospital has managed to rack up a bill of Rs 26 lakh, her family has now sent a legal notice to Breach Candy Hospital and its doctors.
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Now, Chanchal is in smaller room of 50 sq ft and her health is also worse
mid-day had reported in October how the family has been locked in a stand-off with the hospital over Chanchal’s treatment. She was admitted to Breach Candy on June 1 with complaints of lack of appetite and difficulty in walking. Although Chanchal’s condition did not improve, the hospital claims she is fit for discharge and has slapped the family with a bill of Rs 26 lakh, in which medicines alone account for Rs 4.5 lakh.
No diagnosis
Chanchal is now unable to walk or even eat by herself, and for the past week, has required a feeding tube. Doctors told the family that they have been unable to diagnose her problem. Speaking to mid-day, Chanchal’s son Sandeep and daughter Seema Aggarwal confirmed that they have instructed their lawyers to issue a legal notice. The legal notice was issued on December 29 by a law firm in Vashi, and was addressed to six doctors, including the hospital CEO N Santhanam. The family has refused to pay the bill, blaming the hospital for botching the treatment, and demanding that their initial deposit of Rs 2 lakh also be refunded.
‘Why not tell us before?’
“Our only issue here with the hospital is that they did not inform us the reason for her lack of appetite and difficulty in walking when she was admitted on June 1. Today, after seven months, the hospital says that my mother’s problem will persist and that she is fit for discharge. Whereas her condition is getting worse with every passing day,” said Sandeep.
“If this is what the hospital had to say, then why didn’t they inform us within the first few days of her admission. She has been in the hospital for seven months now, almost in solitary confinement, but with no change in her condition. Nor have we got any reply to our numerous letters and pleas, hence I had to send a legal notice,” he added.
Moreover, he said that doctors from JJ Hospital were also called to certify the fitness of their mother in October, but the family is yet to get the report. “We have been told verbally by Breach Candy that the JJ doctors have examined and have certified that my mother is fit to be discharged. We have asked for the copy, but till today haven’t received it,” said Sandeep.
No room for Chanchal
What’s more, the family alleges that the hospital has moved their mother to smaller and smaller rooms to cut costs. Sandeep added, “Soon after the October article appeared in mid-day, my mother’s health deteriorated and she was shifted to the ICU. After two days, instead of shifting her to her original deluxe room, she was taken to a room much smaller in size. The hospital claimed that the deluxe room was already occupied by another patient.” Recently, the septuagenarian was shifted to an even smaller room of about 50 sq feet, which doesn’t have an attached toilet, so the family now has to use the common toilet in the ward. The family have deployed two caretakers to be with their mother around the clock.
Asked whether the hospital had received the notice, Sandeep confirmed that they had sent it by courier and had received an acknowledgement of receipt as well. His lawyers, Anjana Sharma and Bhupendra Phatak, added, “We do not want to comment on the future line of action, but we reserve our right to approach the appropriate court. We will have to wait for a few more days, as we haven’t got any response to the notice yet.”
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