The Telangana government cancelled a Hyderabad hospital’s license to treat COVID-19 patients and issues show-cause notices to three other hospitals on May 18. These stern measures come a day after the Telangana High Court directed the state government to seriously look into overcharging by hospitals in the state. Dr G Srinivas Rao, Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, announced the action taken on the private hospitals.
Dr Rao told the media that they received 26 complaints on the WhatsApp number that the department had provided, for citizens to lodge complaints against private hospitals that are overcharging them. “Three hospitals in Secunderabad, Nagole and Basheerbagh have been issued a show-cause notice for surplus billing and overcharging. The license of one hospital located in HITEC City in the Madhapur area, to treat COVID-19 patients, has been cancelled,” Dr Rao said.
The Director also appealed to hospitals to reconsider their charges and asked them to also factor in the financial background of the patients who approach them for treatment. The Director also appealed to the public to use the WhatsApp number provided to intimate about private hospitals that are overcharging. Citizens can lodge complaints against such private hospitals for surplus billing and overcharging on 9154170960.
Speaking about the state’s vaccination drive that has been paused due to the shortage of vaccines, Dr Rao said that only after the state receives an adequate quantity of vaccines will they resume the vaccination drive in Telangana. He said that the date would soon be announced.
Director of Medical Education Dr Ramesh Reddy revealed that 50 cases of Mucormycosis or the ‘black fungus’ infection have been reported in government hospitals and around 30-40 such patients are being treated in private hospitals.