Punjab to rationalize covid private treatment cost: Balbir Sidhu
He urges private hospital managements to rise to occasion
cityairnews
Jun 18, 2020 09:12
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Chandigarh: Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu today said that the state government will soon rationalize the private treatment cost for the COVID patients to make it affordable. He urged the private hospital managements to rise to the occasion and come forward with rational and reasonable cost of the treatment for the COVID-19 patients.
“This is an unforeseen and unprecedented situation and everyone, including the private hospital managements and promoters, owe a responsibility towards the society”, he said, while hoping that the private hospitals will see the reason and not charge the COVID-19 patients exorbitantly as has been widely reported.
Sidhu referred to a recent announcement by Sri Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital Trust, Amritsar, whereby it has fixed Rs 50,000 (fifty thousand) as the rate for seven days package for twin sharing AC rooms for COVID treatment, while for non-AC rooms it is Rs 35,000 for seven days and the ventilator charges, in case needed, are Rs 6000 per day only.
The minister, without naming any private hospital, said, compared to this, some of the private hospitals were charging as much as Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 per day from the patients which was unacceptable. “If one hospital can provide treatment at Rs 50,000 for a week, how can another hospital charge Rs 30,000 for a single day?” he asked.
Hoping that the private hospitals will see reason and cooperate with the government in charging reasonable money from the patients, the minister said, the final decision on fixing the price will be taken in a day or two. He reiterated that the government has no intention to make the private hospitals suffer any losses, but at the same time, it cannot allow the loot of the helpless patients by being slapped bills to the tune of lakhs of rupees for a few days of stay in the hospital.
