Tension erupted late Tuesday night at Shri Ram Neuro Centre Hospital in Jalandhar’s Lajpat Nagar area after locals and the family of a deceased patient accused the hospital administration of demanding an inflated bill and refusing to release the body until payment was made.
After being admitted for treatment over the past few days, a young man named Ramandeep passed away at Shri Ram Neuro Centre Hospital in Jalandhar on Tuesday evening. What followed added to the family’s grief, they alleged that the hospital handed them a bill of ₹4 lakh and refused to release the body until the full payment was made.
According to the family, they were never told about such a large expense during the treatment. They also claimed there were several irregularities in the bill. As word spread, Ramandeep’s friends and a few local social workers reached the hospital, leading to a heated argument with the staff.
Tension grew quickly and protests continued for nearly two and a half hours outside the hospital. After facing strong public pressure, the hospital administration finally agreed to bring down the bill from ₹4 lakh to ₹50,000. The body was handed over to the family only after this settlement.
Locals alleged that this wasn’t the first time such complaints had surfaced against the hospital. “If the matter could be settled at ₹50,000, why was ₹4 lakh demanded in the first place?” one of them asked, accusing private hospitals of exploiting helpless families in the name of medical care.
The incident has once again triggered public anger over alleged overbilling and unethical practices by private hospitals in the city. Residents have demanded strict action and more transparency in medical billing.
