The Times of India: Ahmedabad: Thursday, 09 April 2015.
End “medical terrorism“ and ensure that the licence
to practice medicine does not become a licence to kill and extort. This was the
stinging message that the Central Information Commission delivered to lawmakers
while disposing the application of a New Delhi-based advocate, Prabhat Kumar,
who wanted to know the real cause of his 73-year-old father's death in a
private hospital.
In a landmark order, the CIC recommended to the
Cen tre, states and Union territo ries to bring private hospitals under the RTI
ambit, which it says will force them to provide medical records of patients to
their kin daily. The CIC observ ed that this will also prevent the undesirable
practice of al tering records after damage has been caused to the patient.
“Forcing private hospitals to provide daily medical records will act check on
hos pitals from resorting to extortionist and in human business of prescribing
unneces sary diagnostics, sur gical operations, cae sareans, angioplasties and
several such malpractices amounting to medical terrorism,'' observed M Sridhar
Acharyulu, information commissioner, CIC. While disposing the application of a
New Delhi-based advocate, Prabhat Kumar, who wanted to know the real cause of
his 73-year-old father's death in a private hospital, the CIC has recommended
to the Centre, states and Union territories to bring private hospitals under
RTI, which it says will force them to provide medical records of patients to
their kin daily.
Kumar's father had complained of constipation and
loss of appetite. Doctors of a private hospital in Vasant Kunj kept him in ICU
for a month and he died in April 2013.
“They should not be allowed to such malpractices
with all im punity and get away without any legal consequences as if there is
an absolute immunity .The government, Medical Council of India and the health
regulatory has to see that licence to practise medicine will not become licence
to kill and extort and come to the rescue of helpless patients,'' the order
stated.
“Forcing private hospitals to provide daily
medical records will also act as a check on some hospitals from resorting to
extortionist, inhuman and ruthless business of prescribing unnecessary
diagnostic tests, unnecessary surgical operations, caesarean deliveries,
unwarranted angioplasties, inserting stents without need, or of substandard
nature or putting low-quality stent while collecting price of high-quality
stent and several such malpractices amounting to medical terrorism,'' observed
M Sridhar Acharyulu, information commissioner, CIC.
The CIC also directed officein-charge of
administration of the hospital to furnish certified copies of the entire
medical record including a note explaining the cause of the death of Prabhat
Kumar's father and certified copies of bills and receipts of payments free of
cost.
CIC also issued a show-cause notice to the
directorate of health services why maximum penalty cannot be imposed against
him for not exercising regulatory power to secure information of medical
treatment to appellant within 15 days from the receipt of this order.
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