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Calling the practice of charging registration fee by hospitals "unfair and restrictive" a consumer court in Hyderabad has penalized the Jubilee Hills branch of Apollo Hospitals, and directed the Telangana Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare to take steps to stop hospitals from collecting money in the name of registration fee.

The Court also directed that all hospitals in Hyderabad district must stop collecting registration fees. The Court was hearing a complaint filed against the Jubilee Hills branch of Apollo Hospitals by a consumer who had been charged Rs. 200 as registration fee.

The complaint was filed by activist Vijay Gopal. He said that he had to shell out Rs 1,100, which included Rs 900 as consultation fee and Rs 200 as registration fee. He further stated that he was not even given any receipt for the registration fee paid.

The hospital argued that such registration is done once in a lifetime for necessary demographics and at the time of registration the patient gets a unique hospital identity number (UHID). The hospital further argued that such patient information is stored for documentation and patient information.

The commission however stated, “The patient who is being treated by a particular doctor in a particular hospital may not consult him again. Therefore, hospitals are not authorised to collect such registration charges or any data from the patients as a prerequisite for availing the services of a doctor.”

The Comission imposed a fine Rs 10,000 to be paid to the complainant and to pay Rs 3,000 as costs of litigation as well.

In December 2019, after the same case had come to light, the branch of the hospital was penalised by the Hyderabad GST department for issuing bills, allegedly without mentioning the Rs 200 registration fee that was charged. At the time, the hospital was fined Rs 50,000.