Private hospitals fleece Covid patients in Nellore

Nellore: Though some private hospitals have not been authorised to treat the Covid infected, they have been doing it for some time unofficially due to lax administration and fleecing the patients with exorbitant charges violating all the established guidelines.

According to sources, a couple from Hyderabad recently visited Gudur on some work and they were tested positive for virus. A hospital at Pogathota admitted the couple even without conducting the required Covid test and fleeced Rs 2.50 lakh by threatening them to remove oxygen pipe when they faced breathing problem.

Finally, they joined the GGH and their condition is said to be stable. There are many episodes like this.

In fact, the district administration authorised the Government General Hospital attached to the ACSR Government Medical College and Narayana General Hospital to treat the infected persons. Even though the corporate hospitals denied permission to admit the infected, some private hospitals including Chest Care Hospital in Pogathota area without paying any heed to the directions of the administration, started admitting them and collecting huge amounts from them. Finally, they ask the family members of infected to join them in GGH or Narayana Hospitals when the patients develop serious health issues.

Meanwhile, the single-digit number of cases being reported in the district till March second week are now manifold to three digit and deaths have also been rising significantly.

Interestingly, the hospital which behaved rudely with the couple from Hyderabad and another one that has been admitting patients unauthorised have freshly been permitted by the administration as Category-A hospitals to treat the patients. On Friday, the District Collector has approved 23 private/government hospitals in the district to treat the infected in view of sharp rise in cases besides the existing two hospitals.

According to the data, there around 3,500 beds available now in the district with all these 25 hospitals. But, sources say, the hospitals that contribute a major chunk of beds have been filled with patients like the severe pandemic during last year. An administrative officer from a corporate hospital said ICUs are facing severe strain with increase in cases. The government also fixed the charges based on their condition from Rs 3,250 to Rs 10,380 per day.