Notices have been issued to 577 private hospitals by the Health Department following complaints that they received money from the government while collecting extra amount from COVID-19 patients. A release said ₹1.58 crore has been returned to the families of 403 patients.
Under the Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka scheme, steps were taken to treat COVID-19 patients in private hospitals on referral basis. The treatment cost was borne by Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust. But some private hospitals, besides collecting the amount from the patients, also got the money from the trust, the department has alleged.
When there were complaints about this, Health Minister K. Sudhakar instructed officials to conduct a review and issue notices. Accordingly, notices have been issued to 577 private hospitals so far.
A total of ₹18.87 crore was allegedly received by private hospitals. Out of this, ₹1.58 crore has already been returned to the patients’ families, while in some cases, the complaints have been transferred to the district-level public grievances committee for further scrutiny, the release added.
Dr. Sudhakar said, “This is a clear warning given by the government to private hospitals.”
