Jalandhar, June 2: Adopting a tough stance against another lab allegedly fleecing patients for Covid-19 testing, the District Administration on Wednesday asked the Police authority to probe the complaint received from a scribe, who had conducted the sting operation at the lab to expose this malpractice. He also directed to lodge an FIR, if allegations were found to be true after their investigation.
Divulging the details, Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said that another complaint against Rattan Labs at Maqsoodan Chowk was received from Ms. Avneet Kaur, working as Assistant Editor in the media organization namely True Scoop. She had visited the lab as a decoy patient and paid Rs. 900 for RT-PCR tests, which is around double the fee fixed by the government for the same. Ms. Avneet Kaur also recorded a video of the whole incident while taking feedback from other patients who were present there for the test.
Also read: Overcharging for RT-PCR test in pvt labs goes unabated in Jalandhar
In a letter to Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, the administration has asked the matter to be inquired through a senior police officer besides registering an FIR against the lab if allegations proved to be true. Notably, the district administration in earlier such stances had ordered FIR against the erring labs and hospitals for fleecing patients amid this unprecedented health crisis.
Mr. Thori stated that the state government has fixed Rs. 450 for RT-PCR testing and no one is allowed to charge beyond this price adding if anyone found indulging in malpractices and overcharging would have to face legal action.
The DC reiterated his commitment to ensuring Covid-19 related services at reasonable prices as fixed by the state government while categorically mentioning that any kind of complaint about overcharging and malpractices would be dealt with a heavy hand. He also appealed to citizens to file their complaints concerning overcharging and malpractices in Covid-19 treatment at helpline number 0181-2224417 so that severest of the action could be taken against the erring persons.
Meanwhile, the DC also lauded the efforts of Journalist Ms. Avneet Kaur to expose such malpractices and overcharging amid these trying times while maintaining that such endeavors not only expose such irregularities but also promote transparency in the system.