Chennai apart, cases of COVID-19 have been rising in the rest of the State since last month. As more and more persons are testing positive in some of the major districts, resulting in an increased demand for hospital beds, a number of private hospitals have been overcharging patients, in spite of a cap on treatment cost and warnings from the Health Department to adhere to the stipulated ceiling on charges.
Complaints about the collection of excess charges by various private hospitals prompted the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) to issue a circular on July 18, cautioning hospitals that any deviation from the rates fixed by the government would be viewed seriously.
Inquiries with a number of hospitals in Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai in July to check the prevailing rates revealed that many charged in excess. A representative of Kovai Medical Center and Hospital, one of the private hospitals in Coimbatore handling COVID-19 cases, said the treatment cost would be at least ₹3 lakh, when contacted under the pretext of making an enquiry to shift a 65-year-old patient from a hospital in Madurai to Coimbatore.
The approximate rate quoted by a person in charge of the COVID-19 ward was for hospitalisation for a minimum of 14 days, excluding the expenses for ventilator support, oxygen and treatment for co-morbid conditions, if any. “The cost will go up if the patient requires treatment for any other complications,” said the person.
In Tiruchi, admission to a general COVID-19 ward of Apollo Hospitals cost ₹10,000 to ₹15,000, which included ₹3,000 for PPE kit and medicines. Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital in Perambalur charged patients ₹11,000 for a general COVID-19 ward, and ₹15,000 per day for ICU. This was inclusive of PPE kit, food and medicine charges.
In Madurai district, three major hospitals — Apollo Hospitals, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Velammal Hospital — quoted around ₹15,000 for normal wards and upwards of ₹25,000 for ICU wards. This is in violation of the upper limits of ₹7,500 and ₹15,000 per day for the normal and ICU wards in hospitals in A1 and A2 categories, respectively.
A senior representative of Meenakshi Mission Hospital said their understanding was that the government-fixed rates applied only to those availing themselves of treatment under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS). “We are strictly following these rates for the CMCHIS,” he said.
A representative of Kauvery Medical Centre and Hospital, Thennur, said the hospital charged the government-fixed rate of ₹7,000 per day. Similarly, SRM Medical College Hospital, Tiruchi, charged ₹6,000 per day for moderate COVID-19 patients, including medication and food, while an additional ₹2,000 per day was charged for PPE kit. For ICU, the hospital collected ₹10,000, while the cost of PPE kit and other charges were additional.
An official in charge of COVID-19 treatment at Velammal Hospital in Madurai said the rates applied only to those covered under the CMCHIS. An official of the Health Department said they had issued a reminder to all private hospitals to strictly adhere to the treatment cost fixed by the government. In a letter to all private hospitals approved for COVID-19 treatment, the DMS noted that despite the government order stipulating a ceiling on charges, many complaints were received about collection of excess charges by various private hospitals. “We are acting on specific complaints... A team of the Joint Director (Clinical Establishments Act) goes to the hospital and conducts an inquiry. Action is being taken on specific complaints,” he said.
( With inputs from Kathelene Antony in Tiruchi, Sanjana Ganesh in Madurai, Wilson Thomas in Coimbatore and Serena Josephine M. in Chennai )
