SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Committee on Women’s Empowerment has asked the state government to subsidise the “high” rate of COVID-19 tests.
Stating that the test rates in Meghalaya are exceptionally high compared to those across the country, the committee chairperson, Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the common people would stand to suffer if the government does not bring down the price of tests.
Lyngdoh also noted that there was marked difference in the rates charged in private hospitals, adding that patients who go to private hospitals for COVID treatment were forced to bear 60 to 70 per cent of the treatment cost despite being covered by the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS).
“This matter needs to be reviewed with all private hospitals,” Lyngdoh said.
Speaking to media persons after holding a meeting with the MHIS chief executive officer here on Friday, Lyngdoh also expressed her disappointment with the “sub-optimal coverage by MHIS” so far.
In East Khasi Hills, 53.97 per cent of the population has been covered under MHIS as of now while in North Garo Hills only 47.35 per cent of the population has been covered. In Ri Bhoi, 49.46 per cent of the population has been covered under the health insurance scheme.
The committee was informed that the government has to charge for testing since the Indian Council for Medical Research has stopped giving free testing kits to the state and the government has to pay for the procurement.
The committee was further informed that private hospitals charged Rs 1,500 for a screening test and Rs 3,000 for a confirmatory test, adding that with an MHIS card, a patient can be treated only in the general ward.
“What would happen if the patient is asked to be shifted to an ICU,” the committee chairperson questioned.
The MHIS CEO, while reacting to less coverage of MHIS in the state, blamed it on lack of connectivity and proper network as the two major issues deterring high coverage of the scheme in the state.
Meanwhile, the committee was apprehensive that there would be hue and cry in the state from October 16 when the government starts charging people for COVID tests.
The committee however has been assured that the Health department was going to have a consultative programme to ensure that its queries were attended.
“Under MHIS, private hospitals are supposed to charge Rs 2,900 for a high dependency unit, Rs 3,900 for ICU and Rs 4,900 for an ICU with a ventilator. But in reality, they are charging much more,” Lyngdoh said.
The committee was also informed that the government under MHIS has so far spent Rs 39.78 lakh for 1326 tests in private hospitals and Rs 47.40 lakh for treatment of 229 COVID cases.