ADILABAD: There seems to be no end to the greed of corporate hospitals. The managements of Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda and KIMS Hospital collected over Rs 80 lakh for treating three of a family from Mancherial for Covid-19 but could not save any of them despite the outrageous fees.
The family parted with the exorbitant amount in a span of just 20 days. The three family members were: Ch Bhumaiah, 70, his two sons Kiran Kumar, 45, and Kishore Kumar, 43. Bhumaiah’s bill at Yashoda Hospital amounted to Rs 18 lakh while Kiran Kumar’s death on Thursday was the latest blow to the family.
Yet to come to grips with the reality of the tragedy, the family had another problem to cope with. The management insisted that unless they cleared the balance of Rs 20 lakh, they would not hand over Kiran’s body. By then, Bhumaiah’s family had already spent Rs 45 lakh on his treatment.
Heartbroken, they told the staff in the billing section that if the management did not hand over Kiran’s body, they would end their lives in front of the hospital. The hospital then relented and handed over the body to them but not before the Star Insurance Company paid Rs 4 lakh to the management. Apart from this, for the treatment of Kishore Kumar, who died on September 4, the family paid Rs 1.50 lakh on August 17. According to family members, it was Kiran Kumar who was first affected by Covid-19 and after that, the entire family tested positive.
Bhumaiah and his son Kiran Kumar joined Yashoda Hospital. Bhumaiah died on August 22 while undergoing treatment and younger son Kishore Kumar, whose symptoms caused concern, was admitted to KIMS Hospital where he paid Rs 8 lakh but did not get proper treatment. He then shifted to Yashoda Hospital and was billed Rs 12 lakh.
Bhumaiah was a native of Chennur but settled in Mancherial and had a business in engineering products. He had four sons and his youngest son died about 20 years ago. It is a joint family and all the members live on the same premises.
Bhumaiah’s third son Anil Kumar says that they lost their family members and money. “My brothers had no other problems and yet they fell victims to Coronavirus,” he said. The Covid-19 cases in Mancherial district have been increasing. While the total active cases are 4,954, the number of deaths are 28.
Lost family members and money
Bhumaiah’s third son Anil Kumar says that they had lost their family members and money. “My brothers had no other problems and yet they fell victims to Coronavirus,” he said