Hyderabad\'s Virinchi Hospital too loses licence for treating COVID patients
The state government on Tuesday withdrew permission to treat Covid-19 patients to a second corporate hospital in the city in as many days, announcing that Virinchi Hospitals in Banjara Hills will no longer be allowed to admit Covid-19 patients.
The health department in its orders said the hospital was “charging exorbitant rates,” indulging in “improper and surplus billing and not adhering to the ceiling guidelines. Se-veral complaints have been received against Vir-inchi Hospitals, Banjara Hills.
On enquiry, it was found that the complaints against Virinchi Hospitals given by various sources were found to be correct,” Director of Health Serv-ices Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said in a news release.
The hospital first to lose permission to treat Covid-19 patients was Deccan Hospital in Somajiguda, also for similar reasons.
The department has made it clear that the currently admitted Covid-19 patients in Virinchi and Deccan hospitals will continue to receive treatment at the facilities at the rates prescribed by the government.
The government had capped charges for treatment in ICU at Rs 9,000 per day.
The charges for treatment in in shared general ward in private hospitals was capped at Rs 4,500 a day.
According to the Covid-19 bulletin issued on Tuesday, as of 8 pm on Monday, Virinchi had 118 admitted Covid-19 patients while Deccan Hospital, as on Sunday evening, had 26 Covid-19 patients.
The private hospitals that are allowed to treat Covid-19 patients had between them 4,244 admitted as Coronavirus cases as per Tuesday’s Covid-19 bulletin.
Health minister Etala Rajendar, meanwhile, said the intention of the government was not to shut down private hospitals but to ensure they mend their ways.
“We want them to follow the rules, fee ceiling and treat people humanely. This is a serious health crisis and private hospitals should treat it as such and not exploit patients,” he said.
