KATHMANDU: The Janamitri Hospital, run by Ravi Lamichhane, has been found to be charging more than the government has fixed for one cabin of the same day. The hospital, which was opened by Ravi himself to provide social services, has cheated while other hospitals that charge high fees are being criticized everywhere. The relatives of the patients have criticized the group, which has been raising voice against malpractice and inconsistency, for carrying out fraudulent activities in the name of social service.
The Janamitri Hospital at Balaju Chowk was closed for a long time. The hospital was run in collaboration with Rabbi Lamichhane and a group of Galaxy Television, which came into operation a few years ago. A television vehicle and a banner of Lamichhane Foundation have also been placed in the hospital premises. Lamichhane himself has been viralizing the video on social media, claiming that the government has not been able to treat the corona infection and the fees at private hospitals are expensive.
But all this has proved to be an advertisement after the reopening of the long-closed hospital. The advertisement of 'free and cheap treatment' is an example of a fund to increase the business of the hospital, not to allow the corpse to be taken even after paying Rs. 116,000. The relatives of the deceased did not pay all the medical expenses and the administration of Janamitri Hospital did not allow them to pick up the body. Ram Chandra Shrestha, 60, a resident of Naya Bazar, has been undergoing treatment there since April 12.
A patient undergoing treatment at the ICU died at 2 this morning. The corpse should be picked up after all the procedures are completed after the death of the corona infected. The deceased's wife Sanumaya Shrestha and others had identified him. A Nepal Army team was ready to take the body of the infected Corona for cremation. However, the hospital administration did not allow the body to be taken away saying that more than one lakh fee was yet to be collected from the relatives of the deceased. After the death of the patient, the bereaved family and relatives started raising money as requested by the hospital.
Earlier, they had transferred Rs 16,000 and Rs 1 lakh from Siddhartha Bank at the time of admission. The hospital had demanded the remaining Rs 77,000 and some additional amount for medicines. The hospital administration was pressuring the relatives of the deceased to pay the amount immediately. The relatives complained that the treatment was expensive. The hospital said it would pay all the bills even if all the money was paid.
However, the hospital agreed to give the body for cremation after a relative told him that he would not pay the bill until he paid the bill. An army team picked up the body only after 3 pm 13 hours after the death. Sabu Shrestha, a relative of the deceased, said that he stopped asking for money only after searching for the amount spent on certain titles.
"We have already paid Rs 116,000," he said. How much did it cost? The hospital could not show the account after showing how much was spent on which titles. The government pays the government hospital for the treatment of Kovid's patients. The Covid-19 Care Operation Agreement at the hospital stipulates Rs 3,500 for general treatment, Rs 7,000 for moderate treatment, and Rs 15,000 per day for critical treatment (ventilator) per patient.
However, relatives say that the Janamitri Hospital has paid more than Rs 22,000 a day for the treatment of the deceased Ram Chandra Shrestha. The relatives of the deceased say, "If the annual bill is more than Rs 200,000, it is because the government has charged more than the prescribed fee." If the fee was charged as per the rules, only Rs 50,000 would be billed at the rate of Rs 7,000 per day.
The patient should also bring oxygen himself
It has been confirmed that Rabbi Lamichhane, who made the video viral by reprimanding the minister saying that he had brought more than 100 oxygen cylinders for the patients, had also falsified it. Most of the patients being treated in the hospital have been bringing oxygen by themselves. The hospital has also received some cylinders after the Ministry of Health distributed oxygen to all the hospitals in a proportional manner.
However, the relatives of the patients had to fetch oxygen from Lalitpur Satdobato at midnight after the hospital said there was no oxygen. A relative of one of the patients said, "I was brought to the hospital on the same day that hundreds of cylinders were brought to the hospital. My relatives were admitted to the same hospital, but the hospital said there was no oxygen." Searching hundreds of places in the middle of the night, I found empty cylinders. I went to the oxygen industry and filled it. '