Nature Charitable Trust runs a multi-specialty hospital in Noida. The hospital earns revenue from patients, donations, subscriptions, government…

In the audit of a hospital run by a charitable trust, the auditor should consider the following important audit procedures: Register of Patients: Vouch the Register of patients with copies of bills issued to them. Verify bills for a selected period with the patients' attendance record to see that the bills have been correctly prepared. Also see that bills have been issued to all patients from whom an amount was recoverable according to the rules of the hospital. Collection of Cash: Check cash collections as entered in the Cash Book with the receipts, counterfoils and other evidence for example, copies of patients bills, counterfoils of dividend and other interest warrants, copies of rent bills, etc. Income from Investments, Rent etc: See with reference to the property and Investment Register that all income that should have been received by way of rent on properties, dividends, and interest on securities have been collected. Legacies and Donations: Ascertain that legacies and donations received for a specific purpose have been applied in the manner agreed upon. Reconciliation of Subscriptions: Trace all collections of subscription and donations from the Cash Book to the respective Registers. Reconcile the total subscriptions due (as shown by the Subscription Register and the amount collected and that still outstanding). Authorisation and Sanctions: Vouch all purchases and expenses and verify that the capital expenditure was incurred only with the prior sanction of the Trustees or the Managing Committee and that appointments and increments to staff have been duly authorised. Grants and TDS: Verify that grants, if any, received from Government or local authority has been duly accounted for. Also, that refund in respect of taxes deducted at source has been claimed. Budgets: Compare the totals of various items of expenditure and income with the amount budgeted for them and report to the Trustees or the Managing Committee, significant variations which have taken place. Internal Check: Examine the internal check as regards the receipt and issue of stores; medicines, linen, apparatus, clothing, instruments, etc. so as to ensure that purchases have been properly recorded in the Inventory Register and that issues have been made only against proper authorisation. Depreciation: See that depreciation has been written off against all the assets at the appropriate rates. Registers: Inspect the bonds, share scrips, title deeds of properties and compare their particulars with those entered in the property and Investment Registers. Inventories: Obtain inventories, especially stocks and stores as at the end of the year and check a percentage of the items physically; also compare their total values with respective ledger balances. Management Representation and Certificate: Get proper Management Representation and Certificate with respect to various aspects covered during the course of audit. By performing the above procedures, the auditor can obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence regarding completeness of income, proper utilisation of funds, existence of assets, and effectiveness of internal controls, thereby forming a reliable opinion on the financial statements of the hospital.