1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the relationship between East Coast Hospitals and every individual who accesses or uses our services.

These Terms apply to:

• Visitors to our website, registered users, patients, caregivers, and parents or legal guardians
• Family members acting with patient authorisation, international patients, corporate clients, and insurance partners
• Healthcare professionals using our authorised digital platforms
• Any person interacting with East Coast Hospitals through digital channels

These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, Appointment Booking Policy, Teleconsultation Policy, Cancellation and Refund Policy, Cookie Policy, Medical Disclaimer, and any additional policies published by East Coast Hospitals. In the event of any inconsistency, applicable law shall prevail.

2. Definitions

For the purpose of these Terms:

• “Hospital” means East Coast Hospitals, including all of its hospitals, clinics, specialty centres, departments, diagnostic facilities, laboratories, pharmacies, digital platforms, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, consultants, contractors, authorised representatives, and healthcare professionals.
• “Website” means the official website of East Coast Hospitals and all related digital properties operated by or on behalf of the Hospital.
• “Services” include outpatient consultation, inpatient services, emergency care, teleconsultation, online appointment booking, diagnostic services, laboratory services, pharmacy services, preventive health packages, vaccination services, corporate healthcare, wellness programs, online payment services, patient portal, digital health services, and mobile applications.
• “Patient” means any individual seeking, receiving, or intending to receive healthcare services from East Coast Hospitals.
• “User” means any person accessing or using the Hospital’s website, applications, or digital services.
• “Healthcare Professional” means doctors, surgeons, consultants, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, technicians, laboratory professionals, radiologists, physiotherapists, psychologists, dieticians, or other licensed healthcare providers associated with East Coast Hospitals.
• “Personal Information” shall have the meaning assigned under applicable law and includes information capable of identifying an individual directly or indirectly.

3. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing our website, booking an appointment, registering as a patient, making an online payment, using telemedicine services, or otherwise using any service offered by East Coast Hospitals, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You have read and understood these Terms and agree to be legally bound by them
• You will comply with all applicable laws and regulations
• You will provide accurate and complete information and use our services only for lawful purposes

If you do not agree to these Terms, you should not access or continue using our services.

4. Eligibility

To use our services, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age, or are accessing our services under the supervision of a parent or lawful guardian; you possess the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement; all information provided by you is accurate, current, and complete; and you are authorised to act on behalf of the patient where applicable.

Where services are provided to minors, consent shall be obtained from the parent or lawful guardian in accordance with applicable law. International patients acknowledge that healthcare services are delivered in India and that their personal information may be processed in accordance with applicable Indian laws and the Hospital’s Privacy Policy.

5. Scope of Services

East Coast Hospitals provides a broad range of healthcare and related services through its physical facilities and digital platforms.

Clinical Services

General medicine, specialist consultations, surgical services, emergency medicine, critical care, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, women’s health, child health, and vaccination services.

Diagnostic Services

Laboratory testing, pathology, radiology, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, ECG, cardiac diagnostics, and health screening packages.

Digital Services

Online appointment booking, teleconsultation, patient portal, electronic medical records, online bill payments, appointment reminders, digital reports, and health education resources.

The availability of any service is subject to medical appropriateness, doctor availability, operational requirements, equipment availability, regulatory requirements, and hospital policies. The Hospital reserves the right to introduce, modify, suspend, or discontinue any service without prior notice where reasonably necessary.

6. Website Use

The content available on the East Coast Hospitals website is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Website content should not be interpreted as medical advice, a medical diagnosis, a treatment recommendation, a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, or emergency medical assistance. Users should consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition or treatment. Reliance solely upon website information for healthcare decisions is strongly discouraged.

7. User Account Registration

Certain digital services require users to create an account. When registering, you agree to provide accurate information, update information whenever changes occur, protect your username and password, maintain confidentiality of your login credentials, and notify the Hospital immediately of any suspected unauthorised access.

You are responsible for all activities performed using your account unless unauthorised use results solely from the Hospital’s negligence. The Hospital reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts where false information is provided, fraudulent activity is suspected, unauthorised access occurs, these Terms are violated, or required by law or regulatory authorities.

8. Patient Registration

Patients may be required to provide identification and relevant personal or medical information during registration. Patients are responsible for ensuring that personal information is accurate, medical history is complete, allergy information is disclosed, current medications are declared, and emergency contacts are updated. Failure to provide accurate information may affect the Hospital’s ability to deliver appropriate healthcare services.

9. Appointment Bookings

Appointments may be requested through the Hospital website, mobile applications, telephone, WhatsApp (where available), email, patient portal, or hospital reception. Submission of an appointment request does not constitute confirmation.

Appointments are confirmed only after acceptance by East Coast Hospitals based on doctor availability, department schedules, medical urgency, operational requirements, and equipment availability. Patients are encouraged to arrive at least 15 to 30 minutes before their scheduled consultation. Late arrival may result in delays or rescheduling depending on operational requirements.

The Hospital reserves the right to reschedule appointments, cancel appointments, assign another suitably qualified healthcare professional where appropriate, or modify consultation timings due to emergencies, surgeries, public health situations, or other unforeseen circumstances. Appointment reminders may be sent through SMS, email, mobile application notifications, or WhatsApp where the patient has provided consent.

10. International Patients

East Coast Hospitals welcomes patients from around the world. International patients acknowledge and agree that healthcare services are provided in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India; personal information may be processed within India; medical documentation may be maintained in accordance with applicable Indian legal and regulatory requirements; and interpretation services, visa assistance, and international billing support may be offered where available but are not guaranteed. International patients remain responsible for complying with the immigration, insurance, and healthcare requirements applicable to their circumstances.

11. Teleconsultation Services

East Coast Hospitals may offer teleconsultation services through its website, mobile application, patient portal, or other authorised digital platforms, subject to applicable laws and professional guidelines. Teleconsultation is intended to improve access to healthcare and may not be suitable for every medical condition.

11.1 Availability

Teleconsultation services are subject to doctor availability, technical feasibility, patient eligibility, applicable legal requirements, and clinical appropriateness. The Hospital does not guarantee that teleconsultation services will always be available.

11.2 Patient Responsibilities

Patients using teleconsultation services agree to provide accurate medical information, verify their identity when requested, participate from a safe and private environment, maintain a stable internet connection where possible, and inform the doctor about all relevant symptoms, medications, allergies, and previous medical history.

11.3 Clinical Decision

The consulting healthcare professional may determine that teleconsultation is appropriate, a physical examination is required, additional investigations are necessary, immediate emergency care is required, or referral to another specialist is appropriate. The doctor’s clinical judgment shall be final regarding whether teleconsultation is suitable.

11.4 Online Prescriptions

Where legally permissible, prescriptions may be issued electronically following a teleconsultation in compliance with applicable Telemedicine Practice Guidelines and relevant medical regulations. Certain medicines may not be prescribed remotely where prohibited by law or professional guidelines.

11.5 Technical Interruptions

East Coast Hospitals shall not be responsible for consultation interruptions caused by internet failures, device malfunction, software incompatibility, network congestion, power failures, or third-party communication service outages. Where feasible, reasonable efforts may be made to reschedule interrupted consultations.

12. Diagnostic and Laboratory Services

East Coast Hospitals provides a range of diagnostic, pathology, radiology, and laboratory services. Availability of specific investigations may depend upon medical necessity, doctor’s prescription, equipment availability, operational schedules, and regulatory requirements.

12.1 Laboratory Reports

Laboratory reports are intended to assist qualified healthcare professionals in diagnosis and treatment. Patients are advised not to rely solely upon laboratory reports without consulting a qualified medical practitioner. Laboratory results should always be interpreted together with clinical examination, medical history, current symptoms, imaging studies where applicable, and other relevant investigations.

12.2 Diagnostic Accuracy

While East Coast Hospitals strives to maintain high standards of diagnostic quality, laboratory and imaging results may occasionally require repeat testing, additional investigations, specialist interpretation, or clinical correlation. The Hospital does not guarantee that every diagnostic investigation will conclusively establish a diagnosis.

12.3 Report Delivery

Reports may be delivered through patient portal, mobile application, email, physical collection, or hospital counter. Availability of digital reports depends upon the nature of the investigation and applicable regulatory requirements.

13. Pharmacy Services

13.1 Prescription Medicines

Prescription medicines shall be dispensed only upon receipt of a valid prescription where required by applicable law. The Hospital reserves the right to refuse dispensing where prescriptions appear invalid, legal requirements are not satisfied, or patient safety concerns exist.

13.2 Medicine Availability

Availability of medicines is subject to stock availability, manufacturer supply, regulatory restrictions, product recalls, and government directives. East Coast Hospitals does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of any medicine. Alternative medicines may be suggested by qualified healthcare professionals where clinically appropriate.

13.3 Medicine Information

Patients are encouraged to read medicine labels carefully, follow dosage instructions, consult healthcare professionals regarding side effects, and report adverse reactions promptly.

14. Online Payments

East Coast Hospitals may provide online payment facilities for consultation fees, admission deposits, diagnostic services, laboratory services, health packages, pharmacy purchases, and other authorised healthcare services.

14.1 Payment Processing

Payments may be processed through authorised third-party payment gateway providers. East Coast Hospitals does not store complete debit card numbers, credit card details, CVV numbers, UPI PINs, internet banking passwords, or similar confidential payment credentials.

14.2 Payment Confirmation

Payment confirmation is subject to successful authorisation, bank approval, payment gateway confirmation, and internal verification where applicable.

14.3 Payment Failures

East Coast Hospitals shall not be responsible for payment delays or failures caused by banks, payment gateways, card networks, UPI service providers, internet service providers, or technical failures beyond the Hospital’s reasonable control. Patients should contact their financial institution regarding payment-related issues outside the Hospital’s systems.

15. Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellation and refund requests shall be handled in accordance with the Hospital’s applicable policies.

15.1 Appointment Cancellation

Patients are encouraged to cancel appointments as early as reasonably possible. Repeated failure to attend scheduled appointments without notice may affect future appointment availability.

15.2 Refund Eligibility

Refunds may be available where duplicate payments have been made, services cannot be provided due to Hospital-related reasons, or applicable Hospital policies permit refunds. Refund eligibility shall be determined by East Coast Hospitals after review of the relevant circumstances.

15.3 Non-Refundable Services

Unless otherwise required by law or Hospital policy, refunds may not be available after medical consultation has been completed, diagnostic samples have been collected, laboratory testing has commenced, radiology procedures have been performed, medicines have been dispensed, or healthcare services have been substantially provided.

15.4 Refund Processing

Approved refunds shall ordinarily be processed through the original mode of payment. Actual credit timelines depend upon the patient’s bank or payment service provider.

16. Patient Responsibilities

Patients play an essential role in ensuring safe and effective healthcare. Patients agree to provide truthful, complete, and accurate information; disclose allergies and existing medical conditions; inform healthcare professionals of current medications; follow medical advice and prescribed treatment plans; attend scheduled follow-up appointments; respect Hospital staff, patients, and visitors; comply with Hospital safety procedures; and promptly notify the Hospital of changes to personal or medical information. Failure to provide accurate information may affect the quality and safety of healthcare services.

17. Patient Conduct

To ensure a safe and respectful environment, patients, attendants, and visitors shall not engage in abusive, threatening, or violent behaviour; damage Hospital property; disrupt medical services; record healthcare professionals or staff without authorisation where prohibited by law or Hospital policy; use Hospital systems for unlawful purposes; attempt unauthorised access to Hospital information systems; or interfere with medical equipment or Hospital operations.

East Coast Hospitals reserves the right to restrict or terminate access to its facilities or digital services where necessary to protect patient safety, staff, or Hospital operations, subject to applicable law.

18. Emergency Medical Services

The Hospital’s website, mobile applications, email addresses, online forms, and teleconsultation services are not intended for emergency medical communication. If you experience a medical emergency, including chest pain, stroke symptoms, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, serious injury, poisoning, or seizures, you should immediately contact the nearest emergency medical service or proceed to the nearest emergency department. East Coast Hospitals does not guarantee immediate response through its digital communication channels.

19. Website Content

The content published on the East Coast Hospitals website, patient portal, mobile applications, brochures, and other digital platforms is provided solely for general informational and educational purposes. While every reasonable effort is made to ensure that information is accurate and current, healthcare information evolves continuously. Users should always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making medical decisions. Website content should never be interpreted as personal medical advice, a medical diagnosis, a treatment recommendation, emergency medical guidance, or a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.

20. Medical Disclaimer

Healthcare is highly individualized. Medical information published by East Coast Hospitals is intended solely for educational and awareness purposes. No information available through the Hospital’s website, social media pages, newsletters, videos, blogs, webinars, or digital services should be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Patients should never delay seeking medical attention because of information obtained from the Hospital’s digital platforms. Where emergency symptoms exist, patients should immediately seek emergency medical assistance.

21. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies

East Coast Hospitals may utilise artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning, automation, or other digital technologies to improve healthcare delivery and operational efficiency. Such technologies may assist with appointment scheduling, patient communication, administrative workflows, clinical documentation support, decision-support tools, medical coding, report generation, workflow optimisation, service quality monitoring, and healthcare analytics.

These technologies are intended to support healthcare delivery and administrative functions. Final diagnosis, treatment decisions, prescriptions, surgical decisions, and all clinical judgments shall always remain the responsibility of qualified healthcare professionals. Patients should not rely solely upon AI-generated information when making healthcare decisions.

22. Electronic Communications

By providing your contact information, you authorise East Coast Hospitals to communicate with you through appropriate channels, including SMS, email, telephone, mobile application notifications, patient portal, and WhatsApp (where consent has been provided). Such communications may include appointment confirmations, appointment reminders, follow-up notifications, billing updates, laboratory report notifications, prescription updates, health awareness information, service announcements, and regulatory notices.

Patients may opt out of promotional communications at any time; however, essential healthcare-related communications will continue where necessary for treatment, patient safety, billing, or legal compliance.

23. User-Generated Content

Where East Coast Hospitals permits users to submit reviews, testimonials, feedback, enquiries, or other content through its digital platforms, users agree that such content shall be truthful and accurate, not violate any law, not contain defamatory or abusive material, not infringe intellectual property rights, not disclose confidential information relating to other patients, and not contain malicious software or harmful code. The Hospital reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to remove or refuse publication of any content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

24. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property associated with East Coast Hospitals is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. This includes “East Coast Hospitals”, “ECH”, hospital logos, service marks, trade names, taglines, website design, software, mobile applications, medical illustrations, photographs, videos, clinical content, educational materials, graphics, layouts, and databases. These materials are the exclusive property of East Coast Hospitals or its licensors. No person may copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, publish, display, transmit, sell, licence, or otherwise exploit any Hospital intellectual property without prior written permission, except as expressly permitted under applicable law. Unauthorised use may result in civil and/or criminal proceedings.

25. Third-Party Services

East Coast Hospitals may utilise trusted third-party providers to support its operations, including payment gateway providers, cloud hosting providers, SMS and email service providers, telemedicine platforms, diagnostic partners, analytics providers, security service providers, and customer support platforms. The Hospital selects such providers with reasonable care. However, East Coast Hospitals is not responsible for failures, interruptions, or delays caused solely by independent third-party providers beyond its reasonable control. Users may also encounter links to third-party websites. East Coast Hospitals does not endorse or control the content, privacy practices, or services offered by external websites.

26. Data Security

East Coast Hospitals implements reasonable administrative, technical, organisational, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information and medical records. These measures may include secure infrastructure, encryption where appropriate, firewalls, access controls, audit logging, network monitoring, employee confidentiality obligations, role-based access, regular security reviews, and backup procedures. Despite these safeguards, no electronic system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, East Coast Hospitals cannot guarantee absolute protection against every cybersecurity threat or unauthorised access.

27. Confidentiality of Medical Records

Medical records are maintained in accordance with applicable legal and professional requirements. Access to medical information is restricted to authorised personnel who require such information for legitimate healthcare, operational, legal, or regulatory purposes. Medical records shall be retained in accordance with applicable statutory requirements and professional medical guidelines. Patients may request access to their medical records subject to applicable law, identity verification, and Hospital procedures.

28. Research, Education, and Quality Improvement

East Coast Hospitals is committed to advancing healthcare through research, education, and quality improvement initiatives. The Hospital may use anonymised or aggregated information for medical research, clinical audits, quality assurance, staff education, statistical analysis, public health initiatives, and operational improvements. Such information will not identify individual patients unless specific consent or legal authority exists.

29. Website Availability

East Coast Hospitals strives to maintain reliable digital services. However, uninterrupted access cannot be guaranteed. The Hospital may suspend, restrict, modify, or discontinue access to any digital service for reasons including scheduled maintenance, software upgrades, hardware replacement, security improvements, cybersecurity incidents, technical failures, epidemic outbreaks, pandemics, natural disasters, government directives, or other unforeseen operational circumstances. East Coast Hospitals shall not be liable for temporary interruptions resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

30. Disclaimer of Warranties

Except as required under applicable law, the Hospital provides its website and digital services on an “as available” and “as is” basis. East Coast Hospitals does not warrant that the website will operate without interruption, every page will remain continuously available, errors will never occur, information will always be completely current, or digital services will always be free from viruses or malicious code, although reasonable security measures are implemented. Users are responsible for maintaining appropriate security measures on their own devices.

31. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, East Coast Hospitals, its directors, officers, employees, doctors, consultants, healthcare professionals, affiliates, licensors, agents, contractors, and service providers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or relating to use or inability to use the Hospital’s website or digital services, delays in appointment scheduling, temporary unavailability of Hospital systems, internet or communication failures, third-party service interruptions, technical malfunctions, data transmission delays, loss of business opportunities, loss of revenue or profits, loss of goodwill, or loss of data, except where caused by the Hospital’s negligence or where liability cannot be excluded under applicable law. Nothing in these Terms shall exclude or limit liability where such exclusion or limitation is prohibited by law.

32. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless East Coast Hospitals, its directors, officers, employees, consultants, healthcare professionals, agents, contractors, licensors, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, losses, damages, expenses, costs, or legal fees arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms, your misuse of the Hospital’s services, false or misleading information provided by you, violation of applicable laws, infringement of intellectual property rights, or any unlawful activity undertaken using your account. This obligation shall survive termination of your use of the Hospital’s services.

33. Suspension or Termination of Access

East Coast Hospitals reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to its website, patient portal, mobile applications, or other digital services where reasonably necessary. This may occur if false information has been provided, fraudulent activity is suspected, unauthorised access is detected, applicable laws require suspension, these Terms are violated, the security or integrity of Hospital systems is at risk, or continued access may adversely affect Hospital operations or patient safety. Where appropriate, the Hospital may provide notice before suspension, unless immediate action is necessary. Termination of digital access shall not affect any outstanding legal obligations or payment liabilities.

34. Force Majeure

East Coast Hospitals shall not be liable for any delay, interruption, or failure in performing its obligations where such delay or failure results from events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, cyclones, fires, epidemic outbreaks, pandemics, public health emergencies, war, terrorist acts, civil disturbances, labour disputes, government actions, court orders, internet failures, power outages, communication failures, cybersecurity incidents despite reasonable safeguards, failure of third-party service providers, or other unforeseen circumstances beyond the Hospital’s reasonable control. The Hospital shall resume performance as soon as reasonably practicable following the cessation of such circumstances.

35. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India. Subject to applicable law, the competent courts at Puducherry shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms and Conditions or the use of East Coast Hospitals’ services. Nothing contained in these Terms shall limit any statutory rights available to patients under applicable law.

36. Changes to These Terms

East Coast Hospitals reserves the right to revise, amend, modify, or update these Terms and Conditions at any time to reflect changes in applicable law, regulatory requirements, technological developments, introduction of new healthcare services, operational improvements, security enhancements, or changes to Hospital policies. Updated versions shall be published on the official Hospital website and shall become effective from the stated effective date. Continued use of the Hospital’s services following publication of revised Terms constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

37. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be severed to the extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

38. No Waiver

Failure by East Coast Hospitals to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision. Any waiver shall be effective only if made expressly in writing by an authorised representative of East Coast Hospitals.

39. Entire Agreement

These Terms and Conditions, together with the Privacy Policy, Appointment Booking Policy, Teleconsultation Policy, Refund Policy, Cookie Policy, and any other applicable Hospital policies published on the official website, constitute the entire agreement between East Coast Hospitals and the user regarding the use of the Hospital’s digital services. These Terms supersede all previous understandings relating to such use.

40. Grievance Redressal

East Coast Hospitals is committed to addressing patient concerns fairly, transparently, and promptly. If you have any grievance relating to these Terms, our services, or our digital platforms, you may contact our designated Grievance Officer.

Grievance Officer: Mrs. Tajunisha
East Coast Hospitals
Email: pro@eastcoasthospitals.com
Mobile: +91 6385-130201
Postal Address: East Coast Hospitals, No 1, Paris Nagar, Moolakulam, Puducherry – 605 010, India

The Hospital will acknowledge receipt of grievances and endeavour to respond within 30 days of receiving all necessary information. More complex matters may require additional time, in which case the complainant will be informed.