Eatala calls out exorbitant charges by private hospitals
The Hindu
People question government’s inaction against hospitals which continue to charge high prices
In their desperation to save lives of their loved ones gasping for breath, family members are forced to shell out anywhere between ₹ 50,000 to ₹ 1 lakh for immediate admission of COVID-19 patients into ICUs. There are several tragic accounts of people spending their decades of savings on treatment at corporate and private hospitals in the second wave. In some cases, they are forced to do this as major government hospitals are full in current times. The exorbitant charges by private hospitals was called out by Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender at a press conference held in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening. He reminded that the charges for treatment decided by the State government are still applicable, including the charges for COVID-19 tests too. Stuck in a helpless situation, anxious and angry, people who spent lakhs of rupees questioned what action will be taken against the hospitals charging exorbitant amounts since the hospitals continue to charge high prices. Besides, several families were informed by private hospitals that they have to pay ₹ 50,000 to ₹ 1 lakh before admitting a patient. They were also asked to clear the bills daily.
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