SHILLONG, July 20: The state government on Tuesday issued a notification putting a cap on the cost of treatment for COVID-19 in private hospitals.
The notification issued by Commissioner and Secretary of Health department, MN Nampui, states that the department has decided to put a cap on the cost of treatment after going through the report of the committee headed by DHS (MI) Aman War.
As per the new proposal, the per day rate fixed for High Dependency Unit is Rs 5,500, ICU without ventilator is Rs 8,700, ICU with non-invasive ventilator is Rs 9,000, ICU with invasive ventilator is Rs 9,300, paediatric ICU is Rs 8,000 and neo-natal ICU is Rs 7,000.
The cost of treatment would also include bed charges, all consultations, nursing care, basic laboratory tests, PPE kits (with N95 masks), bedside procedure like Ryle’s tube, urinary bladder catheterization, IV line insertion and biomedical waste management (BWM).
The per day rate fixed by the government does not include cost of oxygen, medicines/drugs, non-medical consumables, high resolution CT Scan (chest), high-end lab tests, high-end procedures like central line insertions, chest tubes, dialysis and whatever is not included in the inclusions including basic laboratory tests like CBC, KFT, Electrolytes, CRP, D-Dimer, Chest X-ray, Urine RIE and ECG b.
The rates will be applicable only for COVID-19 treatment. Once patient requires other interventions/treatments, patient will be charged as per hospital rates.
These rates will not be applicable for private or semi-private rooms, if opted for by the patients. The general ward/isolation ward capacity, HDU, PICU/NICU and ICU capacity will be in accordance with the information shared by the hospitals with the office of the DHS (MI) as on June 29, 2021, the notification said.
Private hospitals already charging less than the mentioned rates shall continue with such rates, it said, adding that these rates will be applicable with immediate effect during the COVID-19 pandemic and will remain in force until further notice.
SECC and PMJAY-MHIS beneficiaries would be entitled to the benefits as usual in accordance with the provisions of PMJAY-MHIS and existing procedures laid down to bear the cost of healthcare.
Nampui also said that the government has been taking a number of measures to control and manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients are being provided free of cost in the government hospitals, she said. “In view of the surge in cases, the private hospitals in the state were also directed to keep a number of beds for the treatment of Category “C” and Category “D” COVID-19 patients,” Nampui said.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary of health Department, Sampath Kumar said that 56 percent of the claims made through MHIS are from private hospitals.
He said majority of the people prefer to be treated in private hospitals since they provide tertiary care.
“During the peak of COVID-19, many had raised concerns that private hospitals were charging more from patients,” Kumar said.
He informed that the state government had constituted a committee on June 18 to examine the rates of treatment in the private hospitals and to recommend the reasonable rates of hospitalization charges.
According to the Principal Secretary, the committee had held several meetings to deliberate on this matter.
“The committee had come with a proposal to put a cap on the treatment cost of COVID-19 after examining the cost of treatment in three private hospitals,” he added.
