With messages about a private hospital in Coimbatore demanding exorbitant rates for COVID-19 tests doing the rounds on social media platforms, the district administration and the Health Department have clarified that all private hospitals and laboratories approved by the government for COVID-19 management and testing should follow the price cap fixed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The government had capped the price of tests at ₹4,500, which private facilities were supposed to comply with, District Collector K. Rajamani said.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had, in March, said that private facilities which charge higher amounts would face legal action. The price cap of ₹4,500 included ₹1,500 for a screening test for suspect cases and ₹3,000 for a confirmatory test.
Besides those with symptoms of the disease who seek treatment, the tests are carried out on patients who undergo non-emergency surgical procedures.
However, according to Mr. Rajamani, it would be difficult to check whether private hospitals were charging excess fees for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and those with suspected symptoms of the disease. Treatment-related expenses also differ among hospitals, he noted.
The Joint Director of Health Services was supposed to monitor the operations of private hospitals, he added.
In Coimbatore district, seven private hospitals have been approved to treat COVID-19 patients, and one private laboratory and another attached to one of the seven hospitals have been authorised to conduct testing.
While the cost of treatment is borne by the State in government hospitals, the patients have to foot the bill in private hospitals.
P. Krishna, Joint Director of Health Services, Coimbatore district, said the Department would check if any private facility was violating the price cap.
However, charges of hospitalisation and other expenses would add to the cost of testing if a person gets admitted to a private hospital as an in-patient. Private hospitals and laboratories have been directed to send daily reports on patients and details of those undergoing tests to the Health Department.
The official added that treatment cost in private facilities could be covered under insurance schemes.
