Pregnant woman dies in Faridabad hospital, family gets billed Rs 18 lakh

While the hospital claims that all efforts were made to save the woman, family members charge that doctors had said operation could only be done once the fees was submitted.

New Delhi: Suffering from high fever, a pregnant woman died in a Faridabad hospital on Monday. To add to the woes of her family, the said hospital reportedly handed a bill for Rs 18 lakhs for the 22-day treatment.

At a time when hospitals across the National Capital Region (NCR) are under the scanner for charging an 'exorbitant' amount for treatment, Asian Hospital's charges are being questioned by the family of the deceased woman and an inquiry is being demanded. "They asked us to submit Rs 3 lakh for operation and said it'll be done once entire amount is submitted. We have submitted Rs 10-12 lakh so far. They then asked for Rs 18 lakh."

Hospital authorities though have clarified that the woman was operated upon because she had perforated intestines but that she could not be saved. "She was 32-weeks pregnant and had fever since 8-10 days. We suspected typhoid and began treatment in ICU (but) her child could not survive," said Dr Ramesh Chandna, Chairman Quality and Safety, Asian Hospital. "We found she had a perforated intestine. A surgery was done but we couldn't save her."