Over 400 cases of higher hospital bills detected in Aurangabad

At least 400 instances of inflated bills being charged to COVID-19 patients by private hospitals have been detected in Maharashtra's Aurangabad during audit, a senior official said on Tuesday. "We had received complaints against hospitals charging higher bills from patients, following which we appointed auditors.

At least 400 instances of inflated bills being charged to COVID-19 patients by private hospitals have been detected in Maharashtra's Aurangabad during audit, a senior official said on Tuesday. Due diligence by auditors has saved money to the tune of Rs 24 lakh (in the last two months) which patients would have otherwise paid through inflated bills, district collector Uday Choudhari told reporters.

The order to appoint auditors and reserve 80 per cent of the total beds in private hospitals for COVID-19 patients was issued by the Maharashtra government in the last week of May. "We had received complaints against hospitals charging higher bills from patients, following which we appointed auditors. We have verified 409 bills in which the amount was found to be 5-15 higher than the prescribed rates. The extra amount was slashed," the collector said.