UP GOVERNMENT CAPS PRICE OF CT SCAN
LUCKNOW : The state health department has fixed Rs 2,500 as the maximum fee for a HR CT scan that can be charged by private diagnostic centres or hospitals in the state.
HRCT scan is being widely used as a tool to diagnose chest infection among Covid-19 patients even after completing treatment. Private diagnostic centres were charging up to Rs 5,000 for it.
The maximum Rs 2,500 will be charged for CT scan with 64 slices or more, Rs 2,250 for 16 to 64-slice CT scan and Rs 2,000 for up to 16 slices, the order issued by additional chief secretary, medical and health stipulated, on the recommendation of the director general medical and health.
LUCKNOW : The state health department has fixed Rs 2,500 as the maximum fee for a HR CT scan that can be charged by private diagnostic centres or hospitals in the state.
HRCT scan is being widely used as a tool to diagnose chest infection among Covid-19 patients even after completing treatment. Private diagnostic centres were charging up to Rs 5,000 for it.
The maximum Rs 2,500 will be charged for CT scan with 64 slices or more, Rs 2,250 for 16 to 64-slice CT scan and Rs 2,000 for up to 16 slices, the order issued by additional chief secretary, medical and health stipulated, on the recommendation of the director general medical and health.
(The more the number of ‘slices’, the greater is the clarity to view even small things). The price cap includes cost of PPE kit and sanitisation expenses.
“In a letter on May 12, the director general medical health had proposed the fee for CT scan to be fixed including PPE kit and sanitisation expenses done by the private radio-diagnostic centres and private hospitals,” read the order.
The order has been issued under the Epidemic Act and its violation is a punishable offence, it read.
This is the third such order where charges for diagnosis have been fixed by the state government, the earlier two being for Covid-19 test RT-PCR at Rs 700 and the second was for antigen test Rs 250, per test done by private centres. The tests done by government health centres are free of cost.
Apart from those admitted in hospitals, HRCT is being done for home isolation patients as well and a large number of patients are getting it done by themselves.
Doctors have cautioned against its use without medical advice.
“There should not be exorbitant difference between the rates charged by different diagnostic centres, especially during the pandemic. The government has put a price cap to ensure people do not pay higher fees unnecessarily,” said Dr PK Gupta, former president, IMA, Lucknow.