E-Paper
All private hospital Covid bills will be audited, says Rajesh Tope
He said that instructions have been given to the concerned officials to appoint auditors for every hospital and bills will be audited irrespective of the amount
The bills of Covid-19 treatment at all private hospitals will be audited said state health minister Rajesh Tope. He was speaking at Council Hall after conducting the weekly Covid-19 review meeting for the Pune district.
He said that instructions have been given to the concerned officials to appoint auditors for every hospital and bills will be audited irrespective of the amount.
“Until now, an audit was done of the bills which were above Rs1.5 lakh. Now, every bill of Covid-19 treatment will be audited. Many hospitals break up the bills into multiple parts with small amounts. This should not be done. For every hospital a separate auditor should be assigned by the administration,” he said.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been conducting pre-audits and the post-audits of bills worth ₹1.5 lakh or more at private hospitals. The civic body has also appointed official persons in the private hospitals to check the bills in this range. Whereas, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) had appointed a team of auditors to check the excessive bill amounts.
Tope added that efforts are being taken by the charity commissioner and district administration to add more private hospitals such as Ruby Hall, Jehangir Hospital under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana for the treatment of mucormycosis or black fungus.
“We have instructed the administration to bring more private hospitals under the scheme which are treating mucormycosis patients. There is a cover of 1.5 lakh, but there should not be any upper limit for the treatment. Medicines will be given free and the rest of the treatment cost will be paid by the government,” he said.
Tope announced that the corporates will be asked to vaccinate their staff by tying up with private hospitals. “Industries should vaccinate their staff and the workers at their expense by tying up with a private hospital. They should take this responsibility of vaccinating the staff,” he said.
On the complaints of different rates charged by private hospitals for vaccination Tope clarified that the state government does not have direct control over it.
“Many MLAs said that the vaccine prices should be capped. The Government of India has allotted 25 per cent to private hospitals. They are procuring on their own and vaccinating people. But I would like to ask these private hospitals to keep affordable rates for vaccines,” he said.
