Pvt AC ward to cost Covid patient Rs 5K a day at Dhanwantry College

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 22

A Covid patient will be charged Rs5,000 per day for stay in a private AC ward and Rs1,500 per day for general AC ward at Shri Dhanwantry Ayurvedic College and Hospital in Sector 46.

The UT Administration on Tuesday approved the upgrade of the Covid care facility and the rates for the AC wards.

The average stay of Covid patients at the hospital is 10 days, as per the protocol laid by the Central Government for mild to moderate patients. Considering this, patients opting for a private AC ward will have to shell out Rs50,000 while those getting admission to the general AC ward will have to cough up Rs15,000 for their stay at the hospital.

Naresh Mittal, general secretary of the hospital, said, “Around 20 AC beds have been made functional at the hospital today. Six private AC rooms will be ready in 10-12 days.”

On May 7, the UT Administrator had decided that all new asymptomatic and mild cases will be sent to the ayurvedic hospital in Sector 46, a 50-bed Covid care facility, while critical cases will continue to be sent to the PGI.

There will be no charges for those opting for non-AC general ward. At the PGI, Covid patients are provided treatment without any charge.

Now, the Sector 46 hospital is the only dedicated Covid care facility in the UT to charge patients.