Tamil Nadu govt caps COVID-19 treatment charges at private hospitals

The charges were based on a report from a panel headed by state health secretary

vijayabaskar [File] Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar | File

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced a cap on treatment costs for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals.

The government fixed as rs 7,500 the maximum daily charge for treatment in general ward for COVID-19 and rs 15,000 as charge for ICU treatment.

Following patients' complaints of exorbitant fees in private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, a panel headed by Health Secretary Beela Rajesh submitted a report to the government on permissible charges for private hospitals, an official release said.

The government, considering the report, has fixed the upper ceiling. "The charges that have been announced are the maximum. No fee over and above the permitted charges can be collected from the patients," the government said.

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar had warned private hospitals against overcharging coronavirus patients and noted the government would soon fix charges. Vijayabaskar acknowledged that some hospitals had imposed high charges and noted this was "wrong" and said "this is the time to serve, do service".

Tamil Nadu has been the state with the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in India after Maharashtra. As of Friday, Tamil Nadu had recorded 28,694 COVID-19 cases as well as 232 deaths.

Last month, the government of Maharashtra capped treatment charges at private hospitals.

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