Beware! Private hospitals are reusing disposable surgical items and making you pay for it

(Image for representational purposes only)

New Delhi: In times when the importance of maintaining good hygiene and sanitation are being stressed upon, it seems private hospitals in the country – places where proper care is expected – are turning a deaf ear as well as a blind eye.

As per a report in the Times of India (TOI), several private hospitals are reusing disposables that are used in every angioplasty like catheters, guide wires and balloons and making you pay for them too.

This means that you're probably paying these hospitals for increasing your risk of infection and also for something that has already been paid for.

According to industry insiders, the hospital may be making a profit of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 on every procedure with simple reuse and rebilling, the report said.

Talking to TOI, a cardiologist called this practice "fraud of the highest order being done in most elite hospitals to push up profits," while urging the government to "investigate and expose."

The practice is so rampant that the health ministry has issued an office memorandum warning against reuse of disposable surgical items, particularly in cardiology, when they are meant for one-time use.

"The items after one procedure are sterilised and reused and (patients) are charged full amount of these items," stated the memo dated December 21, 2016. The matter had been "viewed by this ministry seriously", it said, and clarified that "reuse of disposable items, particularly in cardiology and other specialties, is not permitted in healthcare organisations empanelled under CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme)," the daily said.

This practice takes place even after clear instructions on the disposables packaging saying that they are only for single use, should be trashed thereafter and cannot be resterilized.

The report goes on to confirm the reusage of disposables with many cardiologists admitting to the practice. While some described it as 'criminal', others called it a 'great example of cost saving'.