GERARD DE SOUZA
gerard@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Panjim police have filed a chargesheet against Fortis Hospitals Bangalore including its top doctor charging them with cheating, criminal conspiracy and dishonesty. The filing of the chargesheet follows an ongoing legal battle between the hospital and an elderly couple Antonieta Ribeiro and Feliciano D’Souza. Antoneita was operated at the hospital.
Antonieta first complained on December 21, 2011 against the hospital ,its director and chief cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, Dr Vivek Jawali, then marketing manager Abhinandan Dastenavar, head of medical affairs Dr Selwyn Colaco, that the hospital cheated them to a tune of Rs 4-lakh through dishonest means.
Speaking to Herald, Feliciano, who accompanied his wife to Bangalore for the operation narrated the sequence of events which led them to what he called ‘being defrauded’ by the hospital.
“We were told that we had to bring a draft of Rs 4-lakh as security deposit. He Dastanevar) confirmed that in case the patient could be admitted in the hospital under Mediclaim, as most patients from Goa do, then Rs 4-lakh would be refunded to the patient,” Feliciano told Herald.
Since they were told the operation was most urgent, they raised the funds, with great difficulty and at the same time applied for the Mediclaim scheme which was granted. The Goa government approved Rs 1.5 lakh under the scheme for the whole treatment and even undertook to pay further amounts if necessary on presentation of the bills.
However, when they reached the hospital, he said that they were made to part with the demand draft of Rs 4-lakh, which they did “very reluctantly and on the assurance of the hospital that [it] would not be encashed and would be kept in ‘safe custody’ and returned to the patient on the day of final discharge,” despite having a letter from the government of Goa saying that the patient is insured and sponsored by the government Mediclaim scheme.
This was October 8, 2010.The patient was admitted in a room of the hospital and the following day after tests the patient was given an estimate of Rs 1.487 lakh, well within the amount sanctioned by the Goa government.
However, much to their horror, the hospital encashed the DD. According to the patients, an approval sign was made on the form, they claim was filled, after it was signed. They also say that they were made to sign a discharge note well before the operation was conducted on grounds that it was a “mere formality.”
They claimed that only when they were provided with hospital documents did they realize, the hospital authorities have recorded them as having stayed in two rooms including the second one for the longer period which has been recorded as a “twin-deluxe bedroom.”
Because the bills were sent in the name of a ‘twin deluxe bedroom’ when the file came before the Health Department’s Mediclaim cell, the amount was not sanctioned. However, an earlier bill of Rs 26,371 was sanctioned by the Health Department.
In his statement before the police, Dr Jawali said that he was not responsible for administrative functions like billing and insurance.
Dastanevar, said that the patient was admitted in twin deluxe room as multi bedroom was not available. When the multi bedroom was available the patient and his family didn’t want to shift as they both were old and knowingly opted for a higher category ward.
“As he was denied reimbursement, he has filed a false complaint,” Dastanevar said.
Dr Colaco also told the police that the couple had willingly opted for twin deluxe bed… they willingly opted for all the facilities and they willingly paid the demand draft prior to both surgeries.
Fortis Hospitals is yet to respond to an email for a fresh comment on the matter.
