HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Consumer Disputes Forum has ordered United India Insurance to pay Sagarlal Memorial Hospital, a charitable hospital at Musheerabad, the depreciated value of equipment used in its intensive care unit that had stopped working.
Representatives of Sagarlal Hospital, located at RTC crossroads, claimed that they had insured six patient-health monitors that stopped working on January 9, 2016. An official from United India Insurance asked the hospital to get the repairs done and submit the bill for a reimbursement. The hospital got the equipment repaired at a cost of Rs 33,180. However, despite submitting the bill, the insurance company did not pay up. Instead, the company served the hospital a legal notice and sent a surveyor to inspect the equipment.
The insurance company representative said that they processed the hospital’s complaint despite receiving it a month, i.e. February 19, after the equipment stopped working. The company failed to pay Rs 14,090 which was the value of the equipment assessed and submitted by the surveyor. The hospital said that they were instructed to get their equipment repaired before filing the complaint.
The forum ruled in favour of the hospital in part by asking the insurance company to pay the depreciated value of the equipment, while not holding it liable for deficiency in service as it had sent a surveyor to assess the machines.
