Telangana caps testing and treatment price for COVID-19

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, June 15

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The Telangana Government has allowed private hospitals and labs to conduct COVID-19 tests, but at the same time capped the prices for the diagnostic tests.

State Health Minister Eatala Rajender said private and corporate hospitals, including private laboratories, would charge Rs 2, 200 for a single coronavirus test.

Under a lot of criticism for not testing enough, the government has now brought in private hospitals and labs.

But to ensure that the ordinary people are not fleeced, as was happening in other parts of the country, it has asked corporate hospitals to charge Rs 4,000 per day for isolation facilities from mild COVID-19 positive patients and Rs 7, 500 per day from positive patients who need Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities without ventilator support.

However, those who need to be on a ventilator in ICUs will be charged Rs 9,000 per day.

Some private hospitals have reportedly been charging COVID-19 patients in lakhs, sometimes up to lakh a day.

The health minister clarified, “These charges are separate from the cost of antiviral drugs that the private hospital will administer to the coronavirus patients.”

He said the state authorities were keeping a close watch on the situation and establishing linkages with the hospitals so that the government is aware of the number of cases and other related information.

People should try to save themselves from getting infected by adopting the standard operating procedures (SOP) as the treatment despite the capping can be very expensive and in some cases, life-threatening.

Some anti-viral injections cost Rs 40,000-50,000, the minister pointed out.

Eatala said the directive to private hospitals and diagnostic centres has been issued with a warning of strict action over violation of guidelines and attempt to exploit the situation.

He said private hospitals and labs, which had obtained the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) approval, could conduct COVID-19 tests on people reporting Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) symptoms.

“The test can be done as per the doctor’s advice and only if the person has any symptom. Tests should not be conducted if the person is asymptomatic,” he said.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said the additional testing was being allowed to cover the gaps, but the free testing and treatment would continue in government hospitals.

“The government has framed the guidelines and fixed the rates to prevent exploitation,” he said.

He said as per the chief minister’s decision, 50,000 COVID-19 tests would be conducted in 30 Assembly constituencies in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and surrounding districts in 7-10 days.