News
Hospital withholding deceased for unpaid bill: 3-member Health ministry panel to inquire
View(s):A three-member committee was appointed by the Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry on Friday (18) to inquire into the incident where the body of a 62-year-old man was held back for a week by a private hospital, till their bill was settled.
The deceased, Daluwatta Patabadige Thilak Daluwatta from Ragama was admitted to Lanka Hospital Corporation PLC for bypass surgery and died while receiving in-house treatment at the hospital on September 11.
Since his death, his body was held at the hospital, till the bill amounting to over Rs 1 million was settled.
On the instructions of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the Director General of Health Services Dr. Palitha Mahipala appointed the three-member committee to inquire into the case and submit a speedy report.
The committee comprised a Private Hospital Director, a doctor from the Colombo National Hospital and an official of the Western Provincial Department of Health Services.
This incident came to light when the younger brother of the deceased, Daluwatta Patabadige Wickremesinghe, on Monday (14) lodged a complaint at the Narahenpita Police regarding this issue. In his complaint he stated that his brother was admitted to the hospital on August 25 for surgery.
They had agreed to a sum of Rs 650,000 for the surgery. After the initial payment of Rs 300,000, Mr. Daluwatta had been admitted to the ICU where the surgery was conducted the following day.
Mr. Wickremesinghe stated that, when his brother’s condition worsened, he requested the Lanka Hospital officials to transfer him to the Colombo National Hospital, which was turned down by the officials.
Following Mr. Daluwatta’s death on September 11, the hospital bill had amounted to nearly Rs 2 million. After discussions this sum had been reduced to about Rs 1.6 million. But when the family failed to settle the sum, Mr. Daluwatta’s body had been withheld at the hospital.
In their statements to the police Lanka Hospital Director Sunil Rathnapriya and lawyer Nuwanthi Gunawardena said that they will not release the body till Rs 500,000 was paid.
Meanwhile, on Thursday (17) a Colombo Court ordered the hospital management to release the body to its family members.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris said it is imperative to respect the dead, and there was no legal provision to keep a body under custody.
He also said that the hospital can take legal action to recover the unsettled amount.