Pvt hospitals warned not to fleece patients

Coimbatore: The district administration has issued a stern warning to private hospitals that are fleecing Covid-19 patients and reiterated that the hospitals should collect the government fixed charges.
Collector S Nagarajan said that private hospitals categorised as A1 and A2 within the city corporation limits can charge Rs 5,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 30,000 per day for non–oxygen treatment, oxygen-equipped treatment, ICU/ventilator treatment, ICU/non-invasive ventilation, and ICU with O2 only as a stepping down respectively.
There are 15 hospitals categorised as A1 and A2 including KMCH, KG, Ganga Hospital, Karpagam Hospital, Ramakrishna, GKNM, GEM and Kongunadu hospital.
Hospitals categorised as A3 to A6 can charge Rs 5,000, Rs 18,500, Rs 36,500, Rs 32,000 and Rs 27,500 for the non–oxygen treatment, oxygen equipped treatment, ICU/ventilator treatment, ICU/non-invasive ventilation, and ICU with O2 only as a stepping down respectively.
Hospitals outside the corporation limit can charge Rs 5,000, Rs 15,000, Rs 35,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively for these treatments.
If hospitals overcharge, patients can complaint to corona control room helpline number 1077 or toll free 18004253993 or WhatsApp 9488440322. They can also email the complaint to covidcomplaints@gmail.com.
In Coimbatore, complaints have been received against four hospitals so far out of which one hospitals has been taken off the list of hospitals permitted to treat Covid patients. tnn