Thiruvananthapuram,: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today informed that the government has issued orders capping the charges for the treatment of Covid patients who directly go to private hospitals in the State.
Briefing the media, the Chief Minister said, “Covid treatment is already free for the beneficiaries of Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati (KASP) and for those referred from government hospitals at private hospitals empanelled by the State Health Agency. The tariff announced today will be applicable for the Covid patients who reach the private hospitals directly. This was necessitated because of the large number of complaints of overcharging and exorbitant billing by such hospitals and the subsequent intervention by the high court. The rates were finalised after discussions with private hospitals.”
There are two slabs of rates fixed for NABH accredited hospitals and non-accredited hospitals. These rates include Registration Charge, Bed Charges, Nursing and Boarding Charges, Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Medical Practitioner, Consultant Charges, Anesthesia, Blood Transfusion, Oxygen, medicines, essential tests, X-ray, USG, haematology, pathology, and pre and post-hospitalization costs. High-end tests such as CT Chest / HRCT Chest, as well as expensive drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, and the PPE kits are excluded from the daily rate. There is a strict provision that these cannot be charged in excess of the MRP. PPE. Kit, pulse oximeter, masks and portable oxygen cylinders should not be overcharged.
The rates charged by the hospitals must be displayed within the hospital and on their own website, as per the Clinical Establishment Act. If any hospital is found to be charging more than the prescribed rate, the District Medical Officer will penalise them with ten times the fine as per the Clinical Establishment Act. In addition, District Collectors will take further action under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Ordinance, 2021. Patients arriving for Covid treatment must be admitted immediately by all private hospitals in strict compliance with admission protocols. No advance payment of medical fees (deposit) should be taken at the time of admission.
Meanwhile, 27,487 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Kerala today from 99,748 sample tests during the last 24 hours with a test positivity rate of 27.56%. There were 65 deaths today due to Covid taking the related death toll in the state to 5,978. Currently, there are 4,19,726 patients under treatment while 31,209 persons have recovered from the disease today. Thiruvananthapuram district has the highest number of 3,494 new positive cases.
“There are 72 panchayats in the state with a test positivity rate of over 50% with 19 of them being in Ernakulam district, and in 300 panchayats, it’s above 30%. There are 57 panchayats with 500 to 2,000 active cases. This is a serious situation. The number of confirmed cases continues to be high in Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts. Stronger preventive measures should be taken in these districts. In other districts it is gradually declining”, the CM said.