In volte-face, CM says DDSSY won’t cover Covid treatment

PANAJI: In a series of flip-flops, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said treatment for Covid-19 in private hospitals would not be covered under the state government's cashless health scheme, Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), as the government has been “making all the required facilities available to the common man”.
Sawant told reporters that covering costs for Covid-19 treatment under DDSSY had been finalised in March when the state did not have the required infrastructure to treat Covid patients.
“Subsequently, however, sufficient infrastructure required for a Covid patient was made available by us. Four hospitals with approximately 1,000 beds were also readied,” he said. “When we are providing better facilities than private hospitals and there is no shortage of beds, there is no need to cover Covid-19 under DDSSY. Only patients requiring private rooms and similar facilities will go to private hospitals.”
Incidentally, a number of politicians, including Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik and director of health services Dr Jose D'Sa have taken treatment for Covid-19 in private hospitals.
Just last week, the government had amended DDSSY to include cover for Covid-19, enabling patients to avail treatment for the virus from an empanelled private hospital. The notification, however, was cancelled just three days later.
State government officials had said the move came after private hospitals expressed displeasure over the cover provided by the state, even as the opposition had accused the BJP government of succumbing to pressure from private hospitals while notifying rates for Covid cover.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane had said the cancellation came after consulting chief minister Pramod Sawant. “This notification doesn’t make sense and it has to be cancelled.... a fresh notification will be issued in consultation with the CM,” Rane had said.
Last week, TOI had reported that Sawant had said that “the government will look into the matter” with regard to the discrepancies in the rates for Covid treatment notified under DDSSY and the fees charged by private hospitals. The rates fixed were much lower than those capped by the government for Covid treatment in private hospitals.
When asked why the government intended to revise the rates under DDSSY for Covid patients in private hospitals, Rane had said the file was moved around seven months ago and that the situation had since changed.