Kerala HC suspends GO on hospital room rent for a week

‘It does away with purpose of earlier order on COVID-treatment costs’

Slamming the State government, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday suspended for a week a new government order allowing private hospitals to fix room rent for COVID-19 patients. The Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath observed that what had now been done by the government was to allow the private hospitals to fix any rate for the rooms and suites and that the order took away “the laudatory objectives of its first order” issued on May 10. It was clear from the earlier order that the rates fixed for the beds include all corollary charges like nursing, boarding, doctor’s fee etc. Now by allowing the private hospitals to fix any rate for their rooms and suite, “they have become empowered to go back to the earlier situation in charges,” albeit with a condition that such rate be displayed prominently.