GND Hospital bans entry of touts, private lab agents

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 9

Acting tough against agents and touts of private diagnostic labs and chemists, the Guru Nanak Dev (GND) Hospital authorities have banned their entry on the premises.

The hospital administration has put up notices at various places on the premises in this regard and warned that such persons would be handed over to the police.

Agents and touts of private labs, chemists and hospitals luring patients into getting services from them is no secret and such persons had been arrested on various occasions. Touts of private labs could be earlier seen roaming inside wards.

A hospital employee said, “These touts not only sell medicines but also try to persuade attendants to shift patients to a private hospital claiming that they will get better services there. They do such things for commission and patients end up spending more money at private hospitals.”

Earlier, a local social activist had highlighted the issue and accused the hospital of running the doctor-chemist mafia which exhorted patients to go to particular chemist shops.

In a recent instance, the hospital authorities had nabbed a drug addict posing as a hospital employee who lured patients into giving him money for getting medicines at lesser price. However, the person never returned. Patients and their attendants later accused the hospital employees of duping them.

GNDH Medical Superintendent Dr Karamjit Singh said, “Notices have been put up following several such incidents that came to life.” He said no agent of a private hospital or lab would be tolerated inside the premises. The hospital provides better medical services than most of private hospitals as it has better infrastructure and better qualified doctors.

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