AHMEDABAD: The
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has reduced the ceiling for
Covid-19 treatment in
private hospital by 11% to 20% across all units. However, the rates for
AMC quota beds have remained unchanged.
Earlier, the cost of Covid treatment varied from Rs 9,000 to 21,800 per day, but with the revised rate the cost would be Rs 8,100 to Rs 17,500. Rajiv Kumar Gupta, the additional chief secretary forest and environment, who is in-charge of Covid management in Ahmedabad, said, “The issue of rate revision was under active consideration of AMC and multiple rounds of discussion were held with
Ahmedabad Hospital and
Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) and
Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA). The AMC, after the meeting held on Friday, has reduced the rates for Covid treatment in 30 hospitals where 50% of the beds are reserved for patients referred by AMC, and another 50% were reserved for private patients. In 79 hospitals there will be no AMC beds any more and the treatment will be 100% on private basis.
The AMC officials said that the new rates per day do not include costs of medicine, special doctor visit fee, specialized lab test and dialysis. The rates declared by AMC included two meals, breakfast, evening tea and snacks among other charges.
The AMC had on May 16 this year acquired 50% of beds in approved private hospitals and so far has designated 109 hospitals across the city for treatment of
Covid-19 patients.
Financial pressure eased: Dr Bharat GadhviDr Bharat Gadhvi, the president of AHNA, said that the reduction in the cost of treatment will reduce the financial burden to an extent and help more patients avail of treatment in the private set-up. “The daily hospitalization cost has been reduced up to 20%,” he said. Currently, over 100 private hospitals are treating Covid-19 patients in the city.