Coronavirus: Telangana Health Minister Etela Rajender met private hospital representatives in Hyderabad.
Telangana has taken over 50 per cent beds in all private hospitals of the state and reserved them for coronavirus patients after the K Chandrashekar Rao-led government received as many as 1,039 complaints of malpractices by private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, including overcharging.
These beds, including those in super specialty hospitals, will be allotted through a government app, on which people can apply. The tariff charged will be as per the rates decided by the government.
The decision was taken under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act.
"Private hospitals have failed to abide by the guidelines laid down by the government," Telangana Health Minister Etela Rajender said after a meeting with representatives of private hospitals on Thursday.
Instances of private hospitals in the state denying admission, charging Rs 1-2 lakh per day, not issuing bills, and refusing to hand over the body over non-payment of dues, among other discrepancies, have been reported widely in the media.
At least two big hospitals - Hyderabad's Virinchi and Deccan hospitals - had their licence to treat corona patients cancelled after they were found guilty of violating norms laid down by the government.
This comes in the backdrop of the Telangana High Court also hearing petitions accusing private hospitals of overcharging for coronavirus treatment despite the government capping costs.
"Government has set the Coronavirus treatment prices at private hospitals and labs. Corona test fee is Rs 2,200, normal isolation charges are Rs 4,000 per day, ICU charges are Rs 7,500 per day without a ventilator and Rs 9,000 per day with the ventilator. There are extra charges for antibiotic usage," Health Minister Rajender had said earlier.
Telangana reported 1,921 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally of positive cases to 88,396. The number of deaths rose to 674 with nine more fatalities, a state government bulletin said.
The case fatality rate in Telangana was 0.76 per cent, while it was 1.96 per cent at the national level.