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Principal secretary orders audit of Covid-19 treatment charges at Pune hospitals
The state government has already issued billing-related directions to the hospital.
In a bid to check overcharging by private hospitals, Ajoy Mehta, principal secretary to chief minister has instructed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and district collector to carry out an audit of charges levied by private hospitals for treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Mehta has also instructed the officials to take strict action against such hospitals.
The directions were issued during a recently held meeting under the chairmanship of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, at Vidhan Bhavan where the top bureaucrat and other government officials took a review of Covid-19 situation in the city.
The state government has already issued billing-related directions to the hospital.
Mehta said, “Some hospitals who have enrolled themselves under Mahatma Phule Janarogya Abhiyan are overcharging patients. Strict action should be taken against such hospitals.”
Ramesh Krishnamurthy Iyer, general secretary, Congress, said, “There are cases reported where the hospitals are overcharging and delaying medical treatment leading to patient’s death. Strict action should be taken against such hospitals.”
Iyer also demanded clarity on the billing process and said, “All necessary guidelines including notice boards must be put up on the notice boards in the hospitals to make the patients and their relatives aware of the billing process before they get admitted into any hospital.”
“The order must be properly implemented as it would provide relief to the patients,” he said.
Mehta has also directed the district administration to commission the facility of oxygen tanks wherein industrial oxygen cylinders can be converted into oxygen cylinders for medical usage.
