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Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government if it has a regulatory mechanism in place to ensure that private hospitals and nursing homes don’t overcharge for PPE kits and other ancillary items during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Revati Mohite Dere observed that mere issuance of guidelines without keeping a check is giving these hospitals unbridled power to fix prices.
During yesterday’s hearing, Chief Justice Datta asked the government how it deals with violators and ensures that the guidelines are followed. In reply to assistant government pleader Nisha Mehra’s reply that flying squads have been set up to carry out surprise checks, the court has asked the government to mention in an affidavit how many such checks have been conducted from the time these squads were set up till September 21, when the matter will be heard next.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra government has directed district collectors to take strict action against hospitals covered under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana and yet found to be overcharging COVID-19 patients. Besides imposing heavy penalties, the government has asked collectors to cancel registration of such hospitals and file police complaints.
