Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the department took action against private hospitals that refused to release the body of pandemic victims citing non-receipt of CMCHIS funds as the reason. They would not be allowed to treat COVID patients, he added. “We are conducting surprise inspection at private hospitals on CMCHIS coverage and payment details. There are 1,296 hospitals empanelled under CMCHIS. Between March 2020 and May 6, 2021, 1,466 persons have benefitted under the scheme and Rs 6.96 crore has been claimed under it. From May 7 till date, 20,936 persons have benefitted and Rs 266.48 crore claimed,” the minister added.

Those undergoing treatment for mucormycosis, too, are being covered under CMCHIS, he said, noting that 423 persons have so far benefitted and Rs 1.27 crore was claimed. Answering a question on Delta Plus variant, he said there was only one case, a 32-year-old woman who had only mild symptoms and recovered well. So far, 1,28,27,188 persons have received at least one dose of the vaccine, he said, adding that the State has received 1,38,15,660 doses till now. The aim is to inoculate 3 lakh doses per day to improve coverage, Subramanian said. Health officials were focussing on Velankanni, Kodiakkari and Nagur in Nagapattinam where tourists are flocking, he said, adding that the effort was to cover everybody in all tourist spots. Noting a successful case, Subramanian said the village panchayat president of Kaatur in Tiruvarur district created awareness among the people to ensure 100 per cent vaccination. Of the 3,332 persons in the village, all except pregnant women and those below the age of 18 have already been vaccinated, he said.