Hyderabad: Licences of 10 hospitals in Telangana to treat Coronavirus patients have been revoked for overcharging and violating COVID-19 rules. The action was taken by the Office of Director of Public Health and Family Welfare after it received complaints against these private hospitals regarding lack of proper attention to the patients by the management and excess and irrelevant charging in addition to the set norms.
Ten hospitals (5 hospitals on May 28 and 5 hospitals on May 29) were barred from treating COVID patients after completing the treatment and discharge of patients under their care.
Moreover, the Telangana health department also issued show-cause notices to 79 hospitals after receiving 115 complaints against them.
Director of Public Health and Family Welfare Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao also revoked the permission of Virnchi Hospitals, Banjara Hills, to provide Covid treatment after it failed to submit an explanation to the show-cause notice issued by him regarding medical negligence in treating a Covid-19 patient.
The show-cause notice was issued on a complaint by the relatives of Vamsi Krishna, who died while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at the hospitals. The deceased’s relatives alleged medical negligence by the doctors and staff of the hospital in treating the patient by violating the treatment protocols for Covid.
The director said in his orders that no new Covid patient shall be admitted by Virinchi Hospital but no inconvenience should be caused to already admitted patients. They have to be treated as per treatment protocols.
“If it is found that the said hospital is not following these orders, then the government will be compelled to cancel the license issued to the hospital,” read the order.
Meanwhile, four other private hospitals that have been revoked of their licenses to treat Covid patients are– Vinn Hospitals, TX Hospitals, Max Health Hospitals, and Neelima Hospital.
The action was taken against these hospitals for overcharging the patients in violation of the Government Order (GO), which fixed the maximum rates chargeable by private hospitals provided by them for Covid-19 treatment.