Haldwani hospital refuses to hand over patient's body over bill; people hit streets in protest

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• Hospital held patient's body over unpaid Rs 80,000 bill for 2-hour treatment
• Hospital demanded full payment, threatened to seize car despite Rs 57,000 paid.
• Police investigate complaint; protests demand hospital closure.

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A private hospital in Haldwani refused to hand over a patient's body to her family until it paid the full bill – Rs 80,000 for just two hours of treatment.

According to the police, 65-year-old Seema Birodia from Almora district was brought to a hospital in Haldwani on January 1 for treatment of a kidney ailment.

The next day, doctors referred her to a higher healthcare centre, and her family took her to another hospital, where she died after two hours of treatment.

Birodia's family said that the second hospital billed them Rs 80,000 for the two hours of treatment, and when they said they didn't have that much money, the hospital refused to hand over the body.

The family alleged that they scraped up Rs 57,000 from relatives, but the hospital management did not budge and insisted on full payment.

The hospital has also been accused of threatening to seize a car, which belongs to the family.

Meanwhile, people in Almora protested against the hospital and demanded that the government immediately shut down the hospital and all pathological labs connected to it.

Protesters observed a two-minute silence in tribute to Seema Birodia.

Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjunath TC said he received a call from one of the family members, and a police probe was underway against the hospital.

"The hospital gave the woman only two hours of emergency treatment and then presented her family with a bill of Rs 80,000. They somehow managed to pay Rs 57,000. Even after that, the hospital behaved inhumanly, intimidating and extorting them, saying that they would not release the body and would also lock them up and beat them," he said.

The SSP said a police team had been sent to retrieve the woman's body and ensure that the family received the death certificate.

"A human body deserves respect and cannot be used as a means of extortion. A hospital cannot treat a patient or their body as an object. This is an inhumane and cruel act. Such behaviour will not be tolerated," he said.

The officer said a written complaint had been received against the management of the hospital.

Haldwani Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Katyal said that the matter is being investigated.