Bengaluru: Private hospitals sneer at government tariffs, say it’s a pittance

BENGALURU: Private hospitals have opposed the state government’s Tuesday’s notification on maximum charges to treat

Covid-19 patients

. They say the ceiling is too low and that it would be unviable for them.

With a steady rise in cases in the state – especially in Bengaluru – and with beds in designated

Covid-19 hospitals full

, the government has been desperate to rope in private hospitals in the fight against the

pandemic

. However, for weeks, the question of tariffs proved a stumbling block.

Now, barely hours after the order was issued, hospital managements began circulating defiant messages on social media, saying they are ready to face action – no matter how stringent – by the government for violating norms. Private hospitals have raised several points of disagreement, stating that prescribed charges would mean they would have to pay out of their pockets.

Consultations between the government and private hospital representatives have been progress for the past five weeks over tariffs. However, the government order has curiously not mentioned whether the prices are per day or a whole package.

Multiple organisations representing private hospitals have disagreed with the government pricing. Members of

Indian Medical Association

, Karnataka branch, have also taken objection to the prescribed tariff.

“Going by this, whoever is referred by the government will be charged under

Arogya Karnataka -Ayushman Bharat

scheme, whereas in reality the scheme is largely for BPL patients,” said Dr

R Ravindra

, president, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA). “There is no mechanism to check whether a patient sent by the government has insurance cover or not. Also, there is no mention of the days within which the government will make reimbursement.”

Dr Pavan Patil, member, Karnataka Medical Council, pointed at what he called “the discriminatory attitude” of the government. “There is no insurance cover provided by the government for healthcare staff working in Covid-19 wards of private hospitals, unlike that provided for government healthcare staff,” Dr Patil said. “Manpower management becomes difficult in private hospitals as there is already a lot of absenteeism at work.”

Insisting the government must provide “scientific costing”, Dr Patil said, “The government had earlier agreed to pay for some unoccupied beds to cross-subsidise the lower cost treatment package, but the notification is silent on it.”

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