Employers to pay bills for pvt hospital treatment

An employee, who has been extended medical benefits by his employer, can get all the expenses reimbursed even if he or she receives the treatment at an empanelled private hospital, the Delhi Consumer Commission has said.

"Once an organisation or an employer extends the medical benefits to its employees free of charge, it has to reimburse the entire expenses incurred by him particularly when he receives treatment at an empanelled hospital," the commission's president Justice J D Kapoor said.

The panel also said the very purpose of bringing private hospitals on the panel of the organisation would be defeated if the employers start refusing reimbursement of treatment to employees.

"We have taken a view that the purpose and objective of bringing the private hospitals on the panel is to lighten the burden of government hospitals and for better protection of health of employees. . .

"To subject a patient or an employee to the recommendation of government hospitals or the reference by the government dispensary is against the very object for which the private hospitals are empanelled," Justice Kapoor said.

The commission made the observations while hearing an appeal of Indraprastha Power Generation Co Ltd against an order of the district forum, directing it to pay medical expenses of Hari Prakash Gautam, a retired employee, to the tune of Rs 73,410.