As several private hospitals are resorting to exorbitantly charging the patients with hidden costs on Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and drugs, the Telangana government on Wednesday issued instructions to all the private hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment, to charge the PPE and drugs at Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The government further ordered them to also display the MRP of PPE and high end drugs at prominent places. These orders are to be implemented immediately.
The Director of Public Health, G Srinivasa Rao warned of serious action under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, Disaster Management Act 2005 and Telangana Allopathic Private Medical Care Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act 2002, if the hospitals violated the order.
Following numerous complaints about private hospitals fleecing the COVID-19 patients by exploiting the health crisis, the state government has already taken action against two private hospitals -- Deccan Hospital and Virinchi-- for charging the patients beyond the ceiling fixed by the government. These hospitals were denied permission to treat COVID-19 patients.
A committee was constituted to probe the allegations of hospitals violating the government order.
Two days earlier, Health Minister Eatala Rajender said that they received 1,039 complaints about overcharging from COVID-19 patients. The complaints were made against almost all the private hospitals. Warning of action, the Minister said that if the hospitals continue to fleece the patients, the government would take over 50% of their beds.
According to the Minister, relatives and contacts of COVID-19 patients were being insisted to take CT-scans, X-rays and blood tests to ascertain COVID-19 infection and being charged heftily. In some hospitals, patients coming for other ailments were also treated as COVD-19 patients by prescribing them expensive tests, to determine if they are coronavirus positive or not.
In the state, several instances of private hospitals demanding deposit of Rs 4 lakh for COVID-19 treatment, charging Rs 1 lakh per day and refusing to give dead bodies without making the full payment, have emerged. The Health Minister termed these incidents as a ‘blot on humanity.’