That is exactly what the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has done. And kudos to the government which has taken a firm step against overcharging of Covid patients by private hospitals. Kerala has shown the way, and other states would do well to emulate it. The LDF government took the step following receipt of a raft of complaints about fleecing by private hospitals in the state. The new order has capped the maximum amount that a private hospital can charge from Covid patients undergoing treatment at private hospitals in the State. The new orders will come into effect with immediate effect. The order, issued by the Principal Health secretary, says that hospitals flouting the rates will have to pay a fine which shall be ten times the additional charges.

As per the order, a patient staying in a general ward would be required to pay only Rs 2,645 per day. The rate is inclusive of registration, bed charge, medicines, lab tests, etc. Charges for advanced investigations such as CT scans, PPE kits, costly medicines like Remdesivir and Tocilizumab have, however, been excluded. The rates for ICU have been capped at Rs 7,800 and ICU with ventilator at Rs 13,800 in hospitals not accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH). The patients will have to shell out 10 per cent more in NABH-accredited hospitals.

The government’s bold initiative has earned it fulsome praise from the Kerala High Court. Making laudatory references to the decision, the High Court said the order should be strictly implemented. Any hospital admission after the issue of the order would be governed by the rates and conditions detailed therein, the court added. Any violation of the order would be firmly dealt with, the court warned. A Division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath held that Incident Commanders appointed by the government under the provisions of the Disaster management Act should see that the terms and conditions of the government order are implemented in letter and spirit by all private hospitals. If a patient belongs to below poverty line(BPL) category or is not able to afford the rates mentioned in the government order, the hospital must bring it to the notice of the District Programme and Supporting Unit. The appropriate unit can decide whether the patient can be considered as one referred by the government or to be brought under the Karunya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP). This must be done after verifying the credentials and eligibility, the court ruled.

It is heartening to note that organisations like the Muslim Educational Society (MES) have decided to implement the order. Similarly, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has also welcomed the government’s decision. All hospitals functioning under the KCBC will implement the order, which is the need of the hour, it said in a statement. But there are others who are not happy about the rates fixed by the government. For example, the Kerala Private Hospitals Association (KPHA) has made a submission before the court that the government-fixed rates may not be practicable. But they are willing to follow the order for a few days! What cheek!

Instances of private hospitals overcharging and looting Covid patients and their relatives are galore. A few instances mentioned below will illustrate the enormity of the crime. A youth, who was admitted to Charakas Anwar Memorial Hospital, Aluva, in Ernakulam district, for Covid treatment, had to undergo a harrowing experience. In another instance, a 54-year-oldautorickshaw driver who was admitted to the same hospital, also had a nightmarish experience. While the youth, Anson Antony, was slapped with a whopping bill of Rs 1,67,381 for 10 days’ treatment, the autorickshaw driver was charged Rs 25,000 for a single day’s treatment! In the first case, the Aluva Police have registered a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust and Section 420(cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The FIR lodged by the Police said the Anwar Hospital authorities had not displayed the prices and charges of the equipment and charged Rs 12, 880 for a PPE kit costing only Rs 550 in the market!

More complaints of overcharging of Covid patients are pouring in from across the state. A private hospital in Kollam district gave a bill of Rs 3.32 lakh to a Covid patient for 19 days of treatment. Another private hospital charged a whopping Rs 5 lakh from a Covid patient! In yet another instance, a hospital charged Rs 1,300 for ‘kanji’(rice gruel).The inhuman act forced Justice Devan Ramachandran to remark that if ‘kanji is charged like this, we may find it difficult to swallow it’. Some private hospitals are charging Rs 20 to Rs 30 for a dolo/paracetamol tablet costing Rs 2.Complaints against overcharging can be made to the appellate authority formed under the Kerala Clinical Establishment Act.

Meanwhile, the nine-day lockdown has been extended for another week and could be extended further if need be. It is a bitter pill to swallow. But that is the grim reality. The Covid graph is still showing an upward trend. The daily surge of the deadly virus continues to be frighteningly high. The last four days, for instance, saw the daily cases count scaling new peaks, causing grave concern all round. On Wednesday, May 12, the state recorded the highest single day spike (43, 529 cases) so far. And the dire forecast is that the surge is unlikely to register a downward trend in the next few days. That dreadful news leaves the authorities with no other option but to extend the total lockdown. Incidentally, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sounded a grim note of warning: that the lockdown must be in place for at least 6 to 8 more weeks.

And bad news continues to pour in. Although the Covid situation is extremely scary, a section of the people continues to care two hoots for the Covid protocol. On an average, daily, at least 5000 to 6000 people continue to be booked for not wearing masks. An almost equal number is fined, every day,for failing to maintain social distance in public places. This is a big embarrassment for a highly literate state like Kerala. It is against this somber backdrop the news that the people undergoing treatment for Covid in hospitals could soon touch the six-lakh mark has to be viewed. If it comes to that, then the famed health infrastructure of the State could be perilously close to a total collapse. A thought which sends a shiver down the spine. The State Government has no option but to impose harsher penalties on people who indulge in covid-inappropriate behaviour. It is a do-or die-battle. (IPA Service)