TS Health Minister issues notices to private hospitals in view to exploit patients

The State government on Monday served show-cause notices to all corporate hospitals in Hyderabad which are involved Covid care. Health officials also made it clear that they would not hesitate to seize and take control of 50 per cent of the ICU beds in all private hospitals if they continue to exploit patients.

Health Minister Eatala Rajender also constituted a high-level committee to review the responses of private hospitals. The panel has the mandate to take strict action against private hospitals which fail to provide a satisfactory response to the notices. The notices were served after the Health Department received 1,039 complaints on private hospitals in Hyderabad.

“I urge private hospitals to avoid exploiting patients. If this continues, then the State government will be forced to seize and take control of 50 per cent of the ICU beds in



all the private hospitals,” Rajender said after a review meeting on Covid-19 facilities at private hospitals.

The Central team, led by NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, which is in Hyderabad on a two-day visit, also urged the State government not to hesitate to take tough measures on erring hospitals under the Epidemics Diseases Act.

A majority of the complaints on private hospitals were related to inflating of medical bills, insisting on deposit of at least Rs 3-4 lakh for a bed, declining to accept insurance and credit cards, lack of humane treatment and not releasing the bodies of the deceased till the pending bills are cleared.

“RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests are the only two best Covid-19 diagnostic tools. However, private hospitals are prescribing unnecessary tests like chest CT scan etc.,” Rajender said.