Punjab caps Covid treatment rates for private hospitals

Rates vary between ₹4,500 and ₹18,000 for per day of admission, depending on the treatment required by a patient and the category hospital belongs to

CHANDIGARH: To check profiteering by private hospitals during the current pandemic, the Punjab government on Thursday fixed their Covid treatment rates. The rates were announced after a Covid review meeting via video-conferencing that was chaired by the chief minister here. The rates have been finalised for private hospitals and medical colleges by Dr KK Talwar Committee.

Chandigarh To check profiteering by private hospitals during the current pandemic, the Punjab government on Thursday fixed their Covid treatment rates.

The rates were announced after a Covid review meeting via video-conferencing that was chaired by the chief minister here. The rates finalised for private hospitals and medical colleges by Dr KK Talwar Committee cover isolation beds, intensive care treatment and hospitalisation charges, per day of admission.

For moderate sickness requiring isolation beds, including supportive care and oxygen, the rates per day of admission have been fixed at: ₹10,000 for all private medical colleges/NABH private hospitals with teaching programme from National Board of Examination (NBE), ₹9,000 for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH)-accredited hospitals (including private medical colleges without PG/DNB course) and ₹8,000 for non-NABH accredited hospitals, according to an official spokesperson.

The rates across these categories of hospitals for “severe sickness” (ICU without need for ventilator) have been capped, respectively, at ₹15,000, ₹14,000 and ₹13,000, whereas for “very severe or critical patients”, these are fixed at ₹18,000, ₹16,500 and ₹15,000, respectively. All these rates are inclusive of PPE cost, the spokesperson said.

In order to encourage private hospitals to cater to mild sickness cases also, the Dr Talwar Committee has also fixed per day admission rates for such cases at ₹6,500, ₹5,500 and ₹4,500, respectively.

The treatment rates were decided amid several complaints received by the state government of private hospitals charging exorbitantly for Covid treatment. The CM had also personally received complaints on this count and asked the Dr Talwar committee and the health and family welfare department to look into the matter and work out the rates after discussions with private hospitals.

Dr Talwar said the committee went by the Covid treatment rates suggested by Niti Aayog, except that one more category was included.