Complaints by several people that private hospitals are charging ₹10,000 from each person to conduct COVID-19 tests seem to be exaggerated, sources in the Health Department said.
There were reports that many people in the city who were going to private hospitals for unrelated ailments were being forced to undergo COVID-19 tests and shell out large sums of money. However, sources in the Health Department refuted the reports.
“Chances of private hospitals fleecing patients are remote, as COVID-19 test is not mandatory for asymptomatic patients going to private hospitals for other treatments,” they said.
COVID-19 testing has to be done either at the Virology Lab of King George Hospital (KGH) or at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD), which is being done free of cost in Andhra Pradesh. A few private hospitals have been authorised by the government to collect samples and send them to KGH or GHCCD for confirmation.
“There is a possibility of pulmonologists or ENT specialists at private hospitals charging around ₹2,500 for drawing the sample. Complaints that the doctors are charging ₹10,000 for the COVID-19 test seem to be exaggerated,” said a senior official, while adding that he did not rule out the possibility of patients being exploited.
A man had taken his mother to ESI Hospital for the COVID-19 test, and the sample was drawn but they were not charged any fee. The special kits for drawing the samples are supplied by the Health Department and the samples are sent to the Virology Lab at KGH, according to the source.
“The public should visit the KGH or GHCCD for COVID tests, as the medical staff have gained considerable experience in testing and the results would be accurate,” opined a government doctor who did not want to be quoted.
Meanwhile, social activist and former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma, in a letter to Special Chief Secretary (Health) K.S. Jawahar Reddy, said that a patient complained to him that a private hospital charged ₹10,000 for a COVID-19 test, as a prerequisite for performing a surgical procedure on him.
The patient, who was suffering from a kidney ailment, was referred by ESI Hospital to a private hospital for a surgical procedure. The doctors allegedly wanted to do a COVID-19 test before performing the surgery to ensure that the patient was not already infected.
“The private hospital in question had charged only ₹5,000, and not ₹10,000 as alleged, for consumables like PPE equipment to be worn by the doctor for treating asymptomatic patients who need to undergo other treatments. The PPE equipment has to be purchased and the doctor cannot risk his/her life for treating such cases,” Dr. P.V. Sudhakar, Principal of Andhra Medical College who conducted a probe into the allegations, told The Hindu on Thursday.