Jharkhand caps fee for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals
The rates were fixed after studying the rates implemented in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala and Maharashtra.
The Jharkhand government on Wednesday fixed the maximum rates that private hospitals and nursing homes can charge symptomatic as well as asymptomatic Covid-19 patients across the state.
“We have been receiving information about private hospitals charging exorbitant rates from the patients on the pretext of Covid-19 treatment. Considering this, the state government has fixed different rates for treatment facilities and services that private hospitals can charge Covid-19 patients henceforth in all the 24 districts of the state. If any such hospitals are found violating the detailed rate-chart, legal actions will be taken against them,” Banna Gupta, who himself is undergoing Covid-19 treatment in RIMS-Ranchi, said on Wednesday.
The rates were fixed after studying the rates implemented in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala and Maharashtra. The move came in the wake of rampant allegations of some private hospitals charging Covid-19 patients over ₹50, 000 per day.
The health minister also released a district-wise detailed rate chart under which the districts have been divided into three categories of A, B and C and hospitals into two categories of National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Health Care (NABH) listed and non-NABH private hospitals.
Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum), Ranchi, Dhanbad and Boakro have been put in A category districts while Hazaribag, Ramgarh, Giridih, Palamu, Seraikela-Kharsawan and Deogarh in B category districts and Chatra, Dumka, Garhwa, Godda, Gumla, Jamtara, Khunti, Koderma, Latehar, Lohardaga, Pakur, Sahebgunj, Simdega and West Singhbhum in C category districts.
The maximum charge for intensive care unit (ICU) with ventilators (invasive and non-invasive) for very critical Covid-19 patients has been fixed at ₹18, 000 per day at NABH listed hospitals and ₹15, 000 at non-NABH hospitals in category A districts. This will be ₹14, 400 and ₹12, 000 per day in category B and ₹10, 800 and ₹9000 in category C districts.
ICU without ventilators in NABH private hospital will now cost severely sick patient ₹15, 000 in NABH and ₹13, 000 in non-NABH hospitals in category A districts, ₹12, 000 and ₹10, 400 in category B districts and ₹9000 and ₹7800 respectively in category C districts. All the rates are inclusive of the cost of PPE kits.
Moderately ill patients will have to pay ₹10, 000 for isolation beds with supportive care and oxygen supply in NABH hospitals and ₹8000 in non-NABH hospitals in category A districts, ₹8000 and ₹6400 in category B, ₹6000 and ₹4800 respectively in category C districts.
Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid-19 positive patients will have to pay ₹6000 in NABH hospitals and ₹5500 in non-NABH hospitals in category A districts as bed charge in normal wards. This will be ₹5500 and ₹5000 in category B and ₹5000 and ₹4000 in category C districts.
The state health department has also fixed ₹400 for ABG test, ₹100 for blood sugar level test, ₹800 for D-Dimer test, ₹150 for haemoglobin level, ₹3500 for CT scan chest, ₹500 for chest X-Ray and ₹300 for ECG.
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