Hyderabad: Centre slaps notices on fleecing Corona hospitals

Hyderabad: National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has intervened on allegations of exorbitant pricing and fleecing of Covid patients by corporate hospitals in Hyderabad. It is examining complaints of overcharging of drugs administered to patients in three hospitals namely Yashoda, Care, and Medicover hospitals in Hyderabad.

The Central body has also written a letter to Director, Drug Control Administration, Telangana government to examine overbilling in remaining components of invoices/bills like investigation charges, service charges, ICU charges in these three hospitals.

Vijay Gopal, an activist from Hyderabad had lodged a complaint with NPPA on July 20 by enclosing bills issued by these three hospitals to treated patients. The NPPA reacted on the complaint and issued notices to the three hospitals.

It may be mentioned here that the Telangana government had issued orders fixing a ceiling on Covid treatment in private hospitals. Accordingly, hospitals were directed to charge Rs 4,000 per day for treatment in general wards, Rs 7,500 per day for ICU ward treatment, and Rs 9,000 per day if treated in ICU ward and put on ventilator support.

However, charges on high-end drugs, PPE kits, gloves, and other consumables were excluded and hospitals were told to levy charges according to rack rates fixed in December 2019. However, hospitals were found to be collecting high charges on medicines and consumables.

Elaborating details, Vijay Gopal said that Yashoda, Care, and Medicover were charging absurd amounts on surgical gloves, PPE kits, and even on syringes. " Each PPE kit is being charged Rs 7,000 to 8,000 by Medicover hospital while in Yashoda and Care it is in the range of Rs 1500 to 2500 or above. Each pair of a glove was charged Rs 50 to 75 while a pack of 100 gloves in pharmacy stores can be bought at Rs 300 to 400," he pointed out.

Vijay Gopal said that he was following these corporate hospitals who are fleecing people in the name of covid treatment for last few weeks, but strangely patients who were at the receiving end did not come forward to lodge a complaint against these hospitals.