Kolkata, Aug 9 (PTI) Private hospitals in West Bengal cannot charge patients more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or a maximum of Rs 50,000 at the time of admission, as per a new directive of the state government, a senior official said on Sunday.

The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC), in a notification, also said private hospitals should not refuse admission or treatment if payment was not made immediately.

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"After due deliberation and careful consideration, it is decided that clinical establishments would not be entitled to demand more than 20 per cent of the estimated cost of treatment or a maximum amount of Rs 50,000 whichever is less, at the time of admission," it said.

In case the patient is not in a position to deposit the required amount at the time of admission, the hospital would grant provisional admission and provide necessary treatment, the notification said.

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"However, the admission would be regularised upon the deposit of the amount within a period of 12 hours. In case the deposit is not made within the time stipulated, the hospital would be at liberty to cancel the provisional admission...," it added.

In another advisory, the commission asked hospitals to intimate patients regarding billing on a daily basis.

"Henceforth, all investigations amounting above Rs 2,000 should be done on a prior documented intimated to the patient party," it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)