A private hospital here in Maharashtra has been asked by the district administration to deposit Rs 1.93 lakh into the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for allegedly overcharging COVID-19 patients, officials said.

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The Jalna Collector issued the order on September 7 following complaints that some private hospitals were charging hefty amounts from COVID-19 patients. The collector appointed auditors to look into the bills of patients and it was found that Vivekanand Hospital, a private medical facility here, had allegedly overcharged patients to the tune of Rs 1,93,986, the district administration said in a release. Hence, the collector ordered the hospital management to deposit the overcharged amount into the CM's Relief Fund, the release said.

The action was taken under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and provisions of the Disaster Management Act, it said. Last month, the district administration had suspended the licence of Arogyam Hospital, another private medical facility designated to treat COVID-19 patients, for inflated bills and deficiency in service.

Some other private hospitals here are also under the scanner following complaints of overcharging patients, the release said. The district administration has also appointed a committee to monitor implementation of the government health schemes - Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana - in 11 private hospitals here, it added.