New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS): Congress MP Manish Tewari has written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya after reports that a Delhi based private hospital charged Rs 1.8 crore from a patient for treatment of Covid. The Congress leader demanded that to avoid such incidents, a regulator should be appointed.

In the letter to the Health Minister, Tewari wrote, "I would urge you to immediately call for an explanation as to why and how did the hospital charge such an exorbitant sum of money from a patient irrespective of how unwell he or she might be."

He said that the government should bring a bill to immediately appoint a regulator with powers to check such types of incidents.

The matter came to light after AAP's Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti on Monday lashed out at Max Hospital, Saket for allegedly charging Rs 1.8 crore for Covid treatment of a man who was admitted in April-end and discharged earlier this month.

"Wife spent her all the savings and possibly took help to meet this unbelievably fatty medical bill. The husband was admitted to Max on April 28 and released yesterday. What's shocking is the behaviour of Dr Gurpreet Singh who had the audacity to shout at her even after charging Rs 1.8 cr."

"What's the maximum you have heard a hospital charging for curing Corona? Rs 25 lakh? Rs 50 lakh? No, it's a whopping Rs 1.8 cr! Max Healthcare Saket charged this unbelievable amount to a wife for her husband and then shouted at her when she took my help to ask for a discount. Heartless," he tweeted.

According to the reports, the hospital said the the patient was diabetic, hypertensive and developed multiple complications leading to liver dysfunction and sepsis. The patient remained hospitalised for almost four-and-a-half months and was discharged on September 6.