During the Assembly’s Question Hour, Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh called for the establishment of a regulatory authority to prevent private hospitals from exploiting patients.Singh questioned whether hospitals that had been allotted land by the state government were complying with the condition requiring them to provide free treatment to a specified percentage of patients from economically weaker sections.In response, Health Minister Balbir Singh said the Health Department had entered into an agreement with Max Hospital, Mohali, under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode on August 5, 2009. Under the agreement, five per cent of the hospital’s total income was deposited into an escrow account.The minister added that Max Hospital was not providing free treatment to patients from economically weaker sections.Following the response, the Mohali MLA reiterated his demand for compliance and establishment of a regulatory authority.