Probe Covid admissions in private hospitals: Ashok Khemka

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, May 26

Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka has asked the Health Department to inquire into Covid admissions in private hospitals from June 25 last year and asked to refund the excess amount, if any, charged by private facilities.

In a May 25 letter to Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rajeev Arora, Khemka, who is the Covid in charge of Nuh district, said the Health Department had, on June 25, 2020, capped the rates for Covid treatment at hospitals accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and non-NABH hospitals.

He pointed out that the order issued on June 25, 2020, under Section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, was binding on all private hospitals or medical colleges in the state for the Covid treatment.

“Since many Covid patients have hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular problems, the charges for medical care of co-morbidities formed a part of the package. However, experimental therapies (for example, Remdesivir), Covid diagnostic tests and IL-6 levels were excluded,” Khemka said.

In an order dated May 4 this year, the state government had capped the rates for Covid treatment for all patients, irrespective of their domicile. Earlier, the rates were capped for only Haryana residents.

Khemka said, “Unfortunately, the instruction is more honoured in the breach than in the observance. There are complaints of overcharging. During a review meeting on May 21, it was found that the Health Department was unaware of its own order issued last year. Hence, the contents of the order were read out during the meeting and its strict implementation was requested.”

He added that strict enforcement of the department’s order and its wide publicity was required.