Private hospitals overcharging COVID patients will face action: Haryana Minister Anil Vij

Chandigarh, May 3

Private hospitals in Haryana found overcharging COVID-19 patients will face strict action, Health Minister Anil Vij said on Monday.

He also said that rates of beds and other facilities have been fixed for coronavirus patients undergoing treatment in private hospitals.           

Currently, 42 private hospitals in the state are treating COVID-19 patients, Vij, who also holds the home portfolio, said.                      

“The government has fixed (per day) rates of Rs 10,000 for isolation beds in NABH and JCI accredited hospitals, Rs 15,000 for ICU beds without ventilators and Rs 18,000 per day for ICU beds with ventilators,” he said.                    

NABH stands for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, while JCI or the Joint Commission International is a gold standard for international accreditation.  

Similarly, in non-NABH hospitals, the rates have been fixed at Rs 8,000 for isolation beds, Rs 13,000 for ICU beds without ventilators and Rs 15,000 per day for ICU beds with ventilators, Vij said in a statement.                

The minister said that on the government’s direction private labs have also fixed the rate for conducting the COVID tests. RT-PCR tests will cost Rs 450, Rs 500 for rapid antigen and Rs 250 for ELISA test, he said.           

Strict action will be taken if any private hospital is found charging more than these fixed rates from the COVID-19 patients, the minister said.                         

He also said that a three-member committee has been constituted for distribution of Tocilizumab injection, used in treatment of COVID-19 patients, as per requirement of government and private hospitals.     

COVID-19 State Nodal Officer Dr Dhruv Chaudhary has been appointed as the chairman of the committee.         

This committee will set the criteria regarding the delivery of injections and matters related to it.    

These injections will be made available to local private hospitals through civil surgeons in districts at the purchase price, while it will be given free of cost to government hospitals and medical colleges, the statement said.          

The government will soon start the process of recruitment to meet the shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in the state, Vij said.           

He reiterated that a majority of patients admitted in hospitals in some Haryana districts falling in the National Capital Region are from Delhi and other adjoining states, and it is being ensured they get the best treatment.                  

The state has witnessed a huge surge in COVID-19 cases as well as fatalities in recent weeks, with districts like Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Hisar and Karnal fuelling the surge. PTI