Hyderabad: The state health department on Thursday warned that it would revoke all permissions and shut private hospitals overcharging or overbilling Covid-19 patients. Director of Health Services Dr G, Srinivasa Rao told reporters that his office had issued 88 notices to 64 private hospitals, most of them in the city, following receipts of complaints related to patients being overcharged.
The helpline for receiving such complaints, he said, had received multiple complaints against some private hospitals. The 64 hospitals whch received the notices have 24 to 48 hours to reply and further action against them, as appropriate, will follow, he said.
There are around 1,200 private hospitals that have been designated as Covid-19 treatment centres in the state. “The caseloads are decreasing each day, and the number of people being discharged from hospitals is increasing. This is the time when we anticipate surplus and excess billing issues to increase. There is a special team dedicated to deal with such complaints,” he said.
Anyone who has an issue with billing at a Covid-19 hospital, can lodge a complaint with the office of the Director of Health Services via WhatsApp at 9154170960, and upload images of the bills and the complaint, he added.
