Family accused hospital of withholding body till all the bills were cleared Following allegations by the family of a deceased COVID-19 patient that a private hospital had not only charged “exorbitantly” but was also not handing over the body till the bill is cleared, Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar intervened and resolved the issue on Friday. The family of Rajasthan-based Bhimaram Patel alleged that the patient who died at Manipal Hospitals in Jayanagar on December 23 had been billed ₹44 lakh for 40 days. The hospital had refused to hand over the body till all the bills were cleared, the family alleged.