AIIMS makes all lab tests free, but triples rates for pvt rooms

DELUXE ROOM IN PVT WARD WILL NOW COST ₹6,000/ DAY AS AGAINST ₹1,700/DAY EARLIER

HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday nearly tripled the charges of rooms in private wards even as it issued an order making lab tests, including X-rays performed at the hospital, free of cost.

The order issued by AIIMS’S medical superintendent Dr DK Sharma on Thursday said that the hospital will no longer charge patients for lab tests. Currently, the lab charges conducted at the hospital could go up to around ₹300.

“The undersigned is directed to notify that president AIIMS is pleased to approve the abolition of user charges for all investigations/laboratory charges, currently costing up to ₹300 per procedure in the AIIMS hospital and all centres with immediate effect,” the order read.

Dr Sharma said that this move will be particularly beneficial for patients from economically weaker sections, who comprise a large share of the hospital’s patient load.

“This might not seem a lot to middle-class family but to patients from economically weaker backgrounds, this would be a huge relief. There are also patients whose treatments require repeated tests and investigations for prolonged periods, they will also benefit from this,” said an administrative officer of the hospital.

According to the latest lab rates at the hospital, patients are charged ₹25-250 for various blood tests; ₹10-200 for urine chemistry; and ₹10-50 for fluid and stool tests. Meanwhile, the AIIMS administration, in a separate order, also announced an increase in room rent and diet charges for private wards. The order said that the rent for a deluxe room and ordinary room in a private ward will now be ₹6000 per day and ₹3,000 per day, respectively. Earlier, the hospital charged ₹1,700 for the deluxe room and ₹1,100 for the ordinary room.

The diet charges for these rooms will also be increase from ₹100 to ₹300 now, according to the hospital.