Nellore: Corporate hospitals charge additional fees for Rapid antigen test

Nellore: Corporate hospitals in the district are violating all norms of government and collecting exorbitant charges from patients for conducting antigen tests related to Covid-19 pandemic. Though they are displaying boards of actual charges fixed by the government, in principle, they are collecting additional charges in the form of consultation, registration charges and others. Interestingly, they are handing over additional bills to patients keeping the test bill with them.

In fact, the state government had fixed the rates in July this year for conducting rapid antigen tests by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers (NABH) laboratories in the state.

The cost of test should not exceed Rs 750 which includes the cost of kit, PPE kit, and charges of technical staff member. In the case of RT-PCR, the patient should pay a maximum of Rs 2,800 per sample. The state government issued a GO also indicating the charges to be collected from the people also.

Instead of collecting Rs 750 for rapid antigen test, they are collecting Rs 1,450 from patients. They are also charging Rs 3,050 for RT-PCR test against the fixed charge of Rs 2,800.

"They are collecting the additional amount in the form of consultancy charges which they shouldn't do. In case, people are approaching the hospital for the test after 14 days of isolation for the status of infection, they have to pay an additional amount of Rs. 700 though they skip the consultation, registration. They are giving receipts either for the test or for consultancy and other charges. This is a gross violation where officials are keeping mum on such practices," said a medical practitioner maintaining anonymity.

PPE kits are common in hospitals and the in-patients are being charged abnormally for even one-week. They are charging Rs 3,800 per day/per patient even in a sharing room for the duty doctor and nursing attendant that comes to around Rs 27,000 for the equipment.

"We have paid a huge amount only for PPE kits and isolation charges even though it is a sharing room without curtains. It is around 50 pc of the total bill. There is no ending for this exploitation as the medical and health officials are playing the role of a mute spectator. Officials have to check both the bills of rapid antigen test and consultation charges on the same day and the manipulation comes to light," said a patient, who availed treatment in two corporate hospitals in the city.