Under fire from Oppn, Punjab rolls back hike in health services fee
CHANDIGARH: Punjab health department on Monday withdrew its revised rates of several medical services in government hospitals following criticism from opposition parties.
Announcing the rollback, state health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, “The existing rates would be applicable for the health services available in government hospitals under Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC).”
Keeping in view the deteriorating situation during Covid pandemic, instructions have been issued to all civil surgeons to withdraw the revised rates of treatment in government hospitals under PHSC, he added.
Sidhu clarified that coronavirus patients would continue to get free treatment at all government hospitals in the state.
Earlier, the health department had decided to raise charges for ambulances from ₹5/km to ₹15/ km, and ECG fee from ₹60 to ₹75. Similarly, the OPD registration charge had been increased from ₹5 to ₹10, while the admission fee for general ward had been hiked from ₹25 to ₹40. The operation charges for minor surgery had been raised to ₹250 from ₹100 earlier and for major surgery, the fee had been increased from ₹750 to ₹1,200, as per the earlier order.
Though the health officials had maintained that the revised charges were meant for maintenance of hospital buildings and other infrastructure, the move had drawn flak from the political quarters.
SAD leader and former minister Daljit Singh Cheema had said, “This hike should be withdrawn immediately. The government should subsidise these services on humanitarian grounds instead of seeking to profit from them.”
Similarly, AAP leader Aman Arora had said the government had put extra financial burden on poor people by increasing the charges for health services.