Chennai: Two years after death former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa the state government still owes '44.56 lakh to Apollo hospital for 75-day-long treatment provided to her. In a consolidated bill submitted to Justice A. Arumughasamy commission, probing the circumstances leading to death of Jayalalithaa, the hospital revealed that out of the total cost of the treatment and other services Rs 6.86 crore, so far only Rs 6.41 crore had been paid. Six months after her death the AIADMK paid Rs 6 crore to the hospital on June 15, 2017, and the bill does not state the source of another payment of Rs 41 lakh made on October 13, 2016.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22, 2016, for 'fever and dehydration.' Specialists from London, AIIMS and Chennai had provided treatment to her till death on December 5, 2016. The hospital had billed under the categories of Patient Bill Health care services ('1.92 crore), Professional Charges (Rs 2.21 crore) and Room Rent/Food and Beverages/ Engineering Services (Rs 2.72 crore).
The hospital billed Rs 1.92 crore for healthcare services provided to her. Of this, the hospital had charged Rs 71 lakh for consultation fee, Rs 7.10 lakh for usage of equipment, such as ventilators, infusion pump and syringe pump and '38 lakh for medicines from the ward pharmacy.
Under professional charges, the hospital had charged Rs 92 lakh for services from London-based Dr Richard Beale, who was flown in for treatment. And the hospital paid '12 lakh to Singapore based hospital Mount Elizabeth for physiotherapy services provided to her.
The room rent had been billed at '24 lakh under the category of patient health care service and '1.24 crores under the section 'Room Rent/Food and Beverages/Engineering service. According to sources the AIADMK had booked around 14 rooms, including in the luxury ward and the CCU.
The hospital billed '1.17 crore for food and beverage services. Soon after the bill was released in social media, the netizens raised questions over the amount spent for food and food and beverage services.
