Private hospitals in Telangana, which are allowed to treat Covid-19 patients, have agreed to let the State Government manage 50 per cent of the beds and collect fee only at the rates prescribed by the Government.

After the State Government threatened to take over 50 per cent beds from private hospitals following complaints of overcharging, the Government warned the hospital management to mend their ways.

Consequently, Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender held a meeting with representatives of private hospitals to discuss the issue of over charging the Covid patients.

During the meeting, the hospitals agreed to hand over 50 per cent of the beds to the Government. They would charge only at the rates prescribed by the Government. The Health Department will prepare modalities for treatment at the private hospitals.

According to the GO 248, private hospitals are to charge ₹4,000 for treatment in general ward, ₹7,500 for treatment in ICU and ₹9,000 for treatment under ventilator a day. But the Government received over 1,000 complaints, most of them related to over charging, from the kin of Covid patients.

9 dead

Meanwhile, nine persons died and 1,921 new positive cases have been reported in Telangana on Thursday, taking the total number of deaths to 674 and total number of cases so far to 88,396. The State has 23,438 active cases, with 16,439 patients taking treatment in home or in institutional isolation. As many as 1,210 patients have recovered from the viral infection.

The State tested 22,046 samples on Thursday. The results of 1,151 tests are awaited.

comment COMMENT NOW