Private hospitals face TL 300 mln in fines by Court of Accounts

A number of private hospitals are together facing fines totaling TL 300 million for overcharging some patients who received medical care in 2011 and paid by credit card, after examination of patients' payment accounts by the Court of Accounts.

The Court of Accounts launched an investigation when claims circulated in the media that hospitals were overcharging its patients. After examining hospitals' accounts, it found that 826 patients in İzmir had been overcharged by hospitals. It did not provide figures for other cities.

The Court of Accounts revealed that some hospitals had charged their patients between 30 to 90 percent more than they should have. It recommended that more than 500 private hospitals be fined a total of TL 300 million for overcharging their patients. It has referred its report to the Social Security Institution (SGK) for them to take the necessary steps on the legal front.

The SGK has demanded explanations from the hospitals through its provincial branches and will decide on the necessary steps after taking the hospitals' defenses into consideration.

However, representatives of private hospitals have found the fines to be unjustified. Sedat Bozanoğlu, legal advisor to the Private Hospitals and Health Institutions Association (OHSAD), said it is normal for patients' bills at private hospitals to be high. «Patients not only pay the extra fees themselves, but also have to pay for some services that the state doesn't financially contribute to. Added to that, they also have to pay for general services. It is very normal for the bill to be high.»

Adapted from Goodmorning Turkey