Two-Day hospital bills shock family after being told one day cost will be Tk 12,000
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
“We admitted the baby after being told it would cost Tk 12,000 a day. When I went to the counter in the morning, I saw a bill of Tk 61,000. If we stay one more day, it will reach Tk 100,000! We are poor people. Where will we get that much money?” said Al-Amin, the uncle of a newborn baby. Family members were left shocked after seeing such a bill while receiving treatment at Hridoy Hospital in Shyamoli.
Al-Amin (22), who came from Sonagazi in Feni, said the newborn’s physical condition deteriorated and the baby was first taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital. From there, the child was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. Later, they came to Hridoy Hospital by ambulance last Thursday.
According to him, “We were told the cost would be around Tk 12,000 for 24 hours. Based on that, we admitted the baby to the NICU. According to what they said, the bill for two days should have been Tk 24,000. But before 48 hours had passed, they handed us a bill of Tk 61,000 today.”
Al-Amin said patients admitted to the hospital are required to buy medicine from the hospital’s own pharmacy. Medicine that costs Tk 1,500 at outside pharmacies is being sold there for Tk 3,000. Families are warned that medicine purchased from outside pharmacies could harm patients. As a result, they are being forced to buy medicine at higher prices.
The baby’s uncle, Kawsar Ahmed, said, “We came here from Dhaka Medical by paying only Tk 1,000 in ambulance fare. A broker told us the cost would be affordable. But this morning, the counter handed us a bill of Tk 61,000. It is impossible for poor people to pay such a bill.”
A visit to the site on Saturday found that Hridoy Hospital Limited is operating on the sixth floor of the Healthcare Hospital building opposite the Mental Health Hospital in Shyamoli in the capital. The hospital mainly provides ICU, NICU, PICU and HDU services.
Relatives of several patients admitted there said the hospital authorities promise low treatment costs when critically ill patients are admitted, but later present them with huge bills.
An analysis of the provisional bill provided by the hospital for the child from Feni shows that the eight-day-old baby was admitted to NICU bed No. 12 at 2:28 pm on July 9. The child’s treatment was under the supervision of pediatric specialist Professor Dr. Ruma Parvin.
According to the bill, an admission fee of Tk 1,500 was charged. The NICU bed charge for two days was Tk 10,000, the oxygen bill for 55 hours was Tk 11,000, the cardiac monitor charge for 58 hours was Tk 11,600, and the syringe pump charge for 50 hours was set at Tk 10,000.
In addition, charges for various hospital services, including an IV cannula, nebulization, suction and an RBS test, brought the total service charge to Tk 50,500. Another Tk 1,500 was added for laboratory services and Tk 8,862.20 as a hospital service charge, bringing the total bill to Tk 60,862.20. Of this amount, the patient’s family had already paid Tk 6,000 in advance. As a result, the outstanding amount was shown as Tk 54,862.20. Family members alleged that they had not been informed about these additional charges before treatment began.
A similar allegation was made by Azizur Rahman from Hatibazar in Keraniganj. He said, “Five days ago, I first took my child, who had pneumonia, to the Children’s Hospital and then to Bangladesh Medical. From there, a broker brought us to Hridoy Hospital. Here, they are charging Tk 200 per hour just for oxygen. That means nearly Tk 4,800 a day only for oxygen.”
Several patients’ relatives said many families become helpless when dealing with a sick mother or child and do not know which hospital to choose. Taking advantage of that situation, brokers bring patients to Hridoy Hospital. They then admit patients by promising low costs and later present them with much higher bills.
Asked about the allegations, hospital manager Rajit said, “The bill clearly mentions how much has been charged under each category.” However, he declined to comment on why these charges were not disclosed at the time of admission.
