Hyderabad: The state government on Thursday announced that it was taking control of 50 per cent of beds in private hospitals. The health department will have control over admissions of Covid-19 patients for these beds, the government said.
As per the initial decision, the patients chosen for admission under this arrangement will be charged as per the rates decided by the government.
The decision was taken at a meeting of representatives of the Telangana Super-Specialty Hospitals Association representatives and health minister Etala Rajendar, according to a release from his office. The meeting was attended by senior health department officials.
The minister had a few days ago said the government would not hesitate to take over 50 per cent of Covid-19 beds in private hospitals if they failed to fall in line and implement government guidelines on rates for treating patients.
It was reliably learnt that despite Thursday's announcement, a final agreement was yet to be arrived at between the private hospitals and the government on the question of the number of beds that the government will have control over. It was learnt that the hospitals offered 30 per cent of the beds.
Also, yet to be discussed are details pertaining to billing of patients, and fixation of rates. These issues along with some other options in terms of working out the admission, billing and other details are expected to come up for discussion at a meeting on Friday between health department officials and private hospitals’ representatives.
After Thursday’s meeting, Rajendar, according to the release from his office, thanked the private hospital managements for coming forward to hand over control of 50 per cent of the beds to the government. He also requested the managements to meet with Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao on Friday to discuss and finalise the modalities of the new arrangement.
A dedicated app will be used to communicate decisions on sending of patients to the private hospitals by the health department, the release added.
It said that from the very beginning of the outbreak of the disease, the government was urging private hospitals to join hands with the government in providing treatment to Covid-19 patients.
Though the government fixed rates to be charged for treating such patients, some private hospitals have been disregarding the guidelines and billing patients as they wished. While many hospitals were issued notices on this front, permission for two hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients was withdrawn following such complaints.
The health minister had repeatedly urged private hospitals not to turn Covid-19 patients into a business opportunity but act responsibly, the release added.
