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Lamenting the commercialisation of the medical profession, the Bombay High Court today observed that hospitals are nowadays run "like shops".
"Doctors have forgotten their duty. Most hospitals are being run like shops. Everything is commercialised. Money has become more important," the court said.
The division bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode was hearing a petition filed by Sanjay Prajapati, a city resident, alleging that the privately-owned SevenHills hospital in suburban Andheri was not giving discharge to his brother Chinku for non-payment of hospital dues.
"This is a sorry state of affairs. Even in Government hospitals such conditions are prevailing," remarked the bench.
Yesterday, while hearing the same petition, the court had noted that "it was inhuman to detain patients" for non-payment of dues.
However, SevenHills management denied the allegation and stated that Prajapati would be discharged today. "Things have been sorted out and he would be sent home during the day," its lawyer said.
The hospital claimed that it wanted to discharge him last month after he was operated upon successfully, but he needed nursing and post-operative care and hence was not sent home. After he moved the court, the matter was sorted out with the family and it was ready to send him home.
The hospital's lawyer also said that it had no intention to stop him from leaving.
The judges recorded the statement and asked the state government to inform on June 17 whether there are any guidelines or rules which give a hospital the right to detain patients for non-payment of dues.
