Are you ready to treat COVID-19 patients: SC to Pvt. Hospitals | Fusion - WeRIndia

While the number of coronavirus cases is rising, a petition had been filed in the Supreme Court requesting to direct the government to involve private hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

While hearing the plea, the court earlier asked the government to identify the private hospitals that are running on the public land.

The government has put a fee limit to be charged for the treatment of COVID-19 patients by private hospitals.

In this context, the apex court asked the private hospitals whether they are ready to provide treatment for the patients at the prescribed rates under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.

Here the private hospitals as per the court are those that have been given land for free or at concessional rates. The court asked them if they are ready to treat a certain number of Covid-19 patients for free.

The CJI through video-conferencing said that he wanted to know whether the hospitals are ready to charge as per the prescribed rates.

A three-judge bench of the SC has issued a notice to the central government and sought answers.

The bench comprises SA Bodde, AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy. The court will hear the matter again in the next week.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared on behalf of the government. He said that state governments should monitor health services. However, the Centre will search for solutions to solve this issue.

He added that the government is trying to provide its best for the underprivileged and poor people in the society under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The Tamil Nadu government has already put a fee limit for the treatment of COVID-19 patients under Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme.

The hospitals are divided into 4 categories. The hospitals under category 1 and 2 can charge between ₹10,000-₹15,000 per day for providing ICU and other facilities. Those come under category 3 and 4 can charge a maximum of ₹9,000-₹13,500 per day.

Hospitals can charge a maximum of ₹5,000 per day if they treat asymptotic patients and in a general ward.

Image credit: Indrajit Das / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R._G._Kar_Medical_College_%26_Hospital_during_Covid-19_02.jpg