A common complaint among COVID-19 patients is the exorbitant charges of private hospitals in Telangana. Till date, 1,039 complaints were lodged against private hospitals through WhatsApp number (9154170960) announced by the Health department.
Of the 1,039 complaints, 136 are regarding inappropriate billing and excess charges for COVID treatment, 16 are related to insurance. Others complained about private hospitals not following safety protocols or preventive care measures.
Addressing a press conference at State Health campus in Koti on Saturday, Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said a dedicated team is working on the complaints. “The complaints are sent to District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) concerned for thorough enquiry. All hospitals were issued show-cause notices. Action will be taken against those who do not follow government guidelines related to treatment charges and protocols,” Dr Rao said. The State government on June 15 issued a government order announcing the maximum rates chargeable by private hospitals for various services provided by them for COVID treatment. The charges range between ₹4,000 and ₹ 9,000 per day. Some services were excluded such as charges for high-end medicines.
In the past few days, permission given to two private hospitals in Hyderabad to attend COVID-19 cases was revoked by the senior health official. However, he clarified that their intention is not to shut down private hospitals as providing treatment only at government hospitals will be difficult, and that a section of people went to seek medical treatment from private hospitals. “But we should ensure quality treatment is provided at reasonable charges,” Dr Rao said.
Though action was taken against private hospitals, some continued to charge ₹60,000 to ₹70,000 per day, and collected money in advance. Some of the patients took huge debts or dug into their life’s savings and slipped into financial distress. Senior health officials said people must opt to get admitted at government hospitals and not to shell out lakhs of money for treatment at private hospitals. They stressed that high-end medicines such as Remdesivir, oxygen lines, are established at government health facilities including at Primary Health Centres.
Earlier, treatment was limited to government hospitals in Hyderabad. Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy said that treatment is decentralised and it is offered in all districts. He said that arrangements were made to attend to critical cases. However, some extremely critical cases will be brought to Gandhi Hospital.
During the press conference, the senior officials said people are under the misconception that costly medicines used in the treatment are provided only at private hospitals. “Around 25,000 vials of Remdesivir are distributed to government hospitals across the State. Around ₹100 crore is allotted for buying medical consumables such as PPE and test kits,” Dr Rao said.
The DME Dr Reddy said that as oxygen is crucial part of COVID-19 treatment, they are installing oxygen lines to around 18,000 beds in government hospitals. It is already fixed at around 10,000 beds.
