1. Introduction

East Coast Hospitals (“Hospital”, “ECH”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) values your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information and health information entrusted to us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, process, disclose, transfer, and protect your personal information when you access our website, mobile application, patient portal, telemedicine platform, diagnostic services, laboratory services, pharmacy services, or any other digital services operated by East Coast Hospitals.

By accessing or using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the collection, processing, storage, and use of your information in accordance with this Policy.

2. Our Commitment to Privacy

Protecting patient information is one of our highest priorities. We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, loss, or destruction.

Our privacy practices are designed in accordance with applicable laws, including:

• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (India)
• Information Technology Act, 2000
• Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011
• Telemedicine Practice Guidelines issued by the Government of India, where applicable
• Other applicable healthcare regulations

3. Information We Collect

Depending on the services you use, we may collect the following categories of information.

3.1 Personal Information

This may include full name, date of birth, gender, photograph (where applicable), mobile number, email address, residential address, government-issued identification numbers where legally required, emergency contact information, occupation, and nationality.

3.2 Health Information

We may collect health-related information necessary to provide healthcare services, including medical history, family medical history, current symptoms, previous diagnoses, laboratory and radiology reports, prescriptions, medication history, allergies, immunization records, surgical history, consultation notes, clinical observations, treatment plans, follow-up records, hospital admission details, and discharge summaries.

3.3 Appointment Information

We collect information related to appointment date, consultation type, doctor selected, department, preferred time slot, appointment status, and visit history.

3.4 Payment Information

When you make payments through our platforms, we may collect transaction ID, payment reference number, billing address, amount paid, and payment status. East Coast Hospitals does not store complete debit card, credit card, CVV, or internet banking credentials. Such information is processed securely by authorized payment gateway providers.

3.5 Technical Information

When you use our website or mobile application, we may automatically collect IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, screen resolution, device identifier, browser language, session duration, referral URL, clickstream data, log files, cookies, crash reports, and app version.

4. How We Collect Your Information

Information may be collected through online appointment booking, hospital registration, patient admission, teleconsultation sessions, laboratory and diagnostic bookings, pharmacy purchases, health package registration, mobile application usage, contact forms, customer support interactions, feedback forms, surveys, email correspondence, SMS communications, phone calls, and in-person registration at the hospital.

5. Purpose of Collecting Information

We collect personal information only for legitimate healthcare and business purposes, including:

Healthcare Delivery

• Register patients, schedule appointments, provide consultations, diagnose illnesses, and deliver treatment
• Manage admissions, coordinate surgeries, maintain electronic medical records, and monitor patient care

Communication

We may contact you regarding appointment confirmations and reminders, test results, prescription availability, admission updates, billing information, emergency notifications, and follow-up consultations.

Operational Purposes

We may use your information to improve healthcare quality, train staff, conduct internal audits, prevent fraud, ensure patient safety, improve website functionality, resolve complaints, and comply with legal obligations.

6. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal information based on one or more of the following grounds:

• Your consent
• Performance of healthcare services requested by you
• Compliance with legal obligations
• Protection of vital interests and public health requirements
• Legitimate interests of East Coast Hospitals, provided such interests do not override your rights

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to maintain user sessions, remember preferences, improve website performance, analyze website traffic, enhance security, and prevent fraud. Users may modify browser settings to refuse cookies. However, certain website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

8. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. Your information may be shared only when necessary with treating doctors, nursing staff, laboratory personnel, radiology departments, pharmacy services, insurance providers (where authorized), third-party diagnostic partners, payment gateway providers, government authorities where required by law, and courts, regulators, or law enforcement agencies under applicable legal processes. All disclosures are made only to the extent reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

9. Data Security

East Coast Hospitals implements reasonable security measures to safeguard your information, including encryption of data during transmission where applicable, role-based access controls, password-protected systems, firewalls and network monitoring, secure server environments, access logging and audit trails, employee confidentiality obligations, and regular security assessments.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal and medical information only for as long as necessary to provide healthcare services, maintain medical records, meet legal and regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and conduct internal audits. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the records and applicable legal requirements.

11. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to access your personal information, request correction of inaccurate information, update your contact details, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, request deletion of personal information where legally permissible, request restriction of processing in certain circumstances, obtain information regarding how your data is processed, and lodge a complaint with the appropriate authority if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. Requests may be subject to identity verification and legal limitations.

1. Appointment Booking Policy

1.1 Purpose

This Appointment Booking Policy governs appointments made through East Coast Hospitals’ website, mobile application, patient portal, telephone, WhatsApp (where available), or hospital reception.

1.2 Appointment Requests

Appointments are accepted based on doctor availability, department schedules, medical urgency, and hospital operational requirements. Submitting an appointment request does not guarantee confirmation.

1.3 Confirmation

Appointments become valid only after confirmation by East Coast Hospitals through SMS, email, phone call, mobile application, or other official communication channels.

1.4 Arrival Time

Patients are advised to arrive 15–30 minutes before consultation, 45–60 minutes before diagnostic procedures, and at the reporting time specified for surgeries or admissions. Late arrival may require rescheduling depending on doctor availability.

1.5 Rescheduling

East Coast Hospitals may reschedule appointments due to medical emergencies, doctor unavailability, equipment maintenance, government restrictions, public holidays, or unforeseen operational circumstances. The Hospital will make reasonable efforts to notify affected patients.

1.6 Cancellation by Patient

Patients may cancel appointments through available channels. Cancellation requests should preferably be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment.

1.7 Walk-in Patients

Walk-in consultations are subject to doctor availability, waiting time, emergency patient priority, and department policies.

2. Cancellation and Refund Policy

2.1 General

Refund eligibility depends on the nature of the healthcare service.

2.2 Consultation Fees

Consultation fees may not be refundable if consultation has already been completed, the patient fails to attend without prior cancellation, or medical advice has already been provided. Refunds, where applicable, will follow the Hospital’s internal policies.

2.3 Diagnostic Services

Refunds may be available when tests are cancelled before sample collection or services cannot be provided due to Hospital-related reasons. Refunds may not be available after sample collection, radiology procedures, report generation, or procedure commencement.

2.4 Online Payments

Refunds for eligible transactions will generally be processed through the original payment method. Processing timelines may vary depending on banking institutions and payment gateways.

3. Teleconsultation Policy

Teleconsultation services are provided only where medically appropriate. Patients acknowledge that certain conditions require physical examination, doctors may recommend hospital visits or refer patients to emergency services, and online consultation does not replace emergency medical treatment.

Patients agree to provide accurate medical information, attend consultation from a private location, ensure stable internet connectivity, and maintain respectful communication. Doctors may discontinue teleconsultation if patient behavior is abusive, threatening, unlawful, or inappropriate.

4. Medical Disclaimer

The medical information available on East Coast Hospitals’ website is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. Website content does not establish a doctor-patient relationship, does not replace professional medical advice, should not be used for self-diagnosis, and should not delay seeking professional medical care. Patients should always consult qualified healthcare professionals regarding medical concerns.

5. Emergency Disclaimer

The website is not monitored as an emergency communication system. If you experience chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, serious injuries, poisoning, or loss of consciousness, immediately contact emergency medical services or visit the nearest emergency department. Do not rely on email, website forms, or teleconsultation platforms during medical emergencies.

6. Patient Consent

By using East Coast Hospitals’ digital services, patients consent to registration for healthcare services, collection and processing of personal and medical information, sharing information with treating healthcare professionals, electronic communication regarding healthcare services, secure storage of medical records, and use of information for treatment, billing, quality improvement, and legal compliance. Patients may withdraw consent where permitted by applicable law, subject to legal and medical record retention requirements.

7. Cookie Policy

East Coast Hospitals uses cookies and similar technologies to improve website performance, maintain secure sessions, remember user preferences, analyze website usage, enhance user experience, and prevent fraudulent activity. Users may disable cookies through browser settings, although some website functionality may be affected.

8. Third-Party Services

The Hospital may use third-party providers for payment processing, SMS notifications, email communications, appointment reminders, cloud hosting, analytics, telemedicine platforms, and customer support tools. These providers are expected to maintain appropriate security and confidentiality standards.

9. Intellectual Property

All website content, including logos, trademarks, designs, images, videos, medical illustrations, text, graphics, software, and website layout, is the property of East Coast Hospitals or its licensors and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. No content may be copied, reproduced, distributed, or used without prior written permission, except as permitted by law.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, East Coast Hospitals shall not be liable for indirect damages, consequential damages, loss of profits, business interruption, data loss, website downtime, delays caused by third parties, internet connectivity issues, or force majeure events. Nothing in this Policy excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

11. Force Majeure

East Coast Hospitals shall not be responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, fires, epidemics, pandemics, government actions, civil unrest, war, power failures, internet outages, or cybersecurity incidents despite reasonable safeguards.

12. Governing Law

These Policies shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India. Subject to applicable law, courts having jurisdiction over the location of East Coast Hospitals’ registered office shall have jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Policies.

13. Changes to These Policies

East Coast Hospitals may modify these Policies from time to time. Updated versions will be published on the official website with the revised effective date. Continued use of the Hospital’s services after such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Policies.

14. Grievance Redressal

Patients who have concerns regarding these Policies or the Hospital’s digital services may contact the designated Grievance Officer. The Hospital will endeavor to acknowledge and address grievances within a reasonable timeframe in accordance with applicable law.

15. Contact Us

For questions regarding these Policies or our services, please contact:

East Coast Hospitals
No. 1, Paris Nagar, Moolakulam, Puducherry-605010
Website: https://eastcoasthospitals.com
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