‘Govt. will act against pvt. hospitals that refuse admission to COVID-19 patients’

Nodal officer to be appointed to make checklist of beds, ventilators available

K. Sudhakar

With complaints pouring in regarding private hospitals refusing to admit COVID-19 patients despite beds being vacant, the State government has decided to initiate action against such hospitals.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, K. Sudhakar, Medical Education Minister, said the license of such hospitals would be revoked. Mr. Sudhakar said that in the first phase, the Out-Patient Department of the hospital will be closed. “We cannot close down the hospital as patients will be admitted. So, we will do things phase-wise and begin by shutting the OPD,” he said.

The Minister, however, said their plan was to adopt a cohesive approach and take everyone into confidence in their fight against COVID-19.

Mr. Sudhakar said that a nodal officer would be appointed for all private hospitals. They will make a checklist of the beds and ventilators available and so on. “The monitoring will be done in a robust manner within a week,” he said.

Notice to Apollo Hospital

The Department of Health and Family Welfare issued a notice to Apollo hospital in Seshadripuram after it received a complaint that they were overcharging for COVID-19 testing. The notice states that the hospital had charged ₹6,000 for testing, while the cost was capped at ₹4,500. It has sought an explanation within two days, failing which action would be initiated.

The hospital, in a statement, however, said that they have initiated the refund process and would follow the State Health Department and Indian Council for Medical Research guidelines.