The government on Tuesday gave a cosmetic makeover to the rate slabs of Covid treatment in designated private hospitals, leaving one to suspect the intentions behind the move. Who is the government batting for -- is it the common man or the private hospitals? Let us recap the rates: Charges for the general ward are now Rs 10,000 per day (earlier it was Rs 12,000), twin-sharing room cost is reduced to Rs 13,000 per day (previously Rs 15,000). Private room for single occupancy is scaled down to Rs 16,000 from Rs 18,000, and ICU with ventilator occupancy has been reduced by Rs 1000 and capped at Rs 24,000 per day (earlier Rs 25,000).
The deal is sweetened by throwing in services of X-ray, ECG, USG, 2D echo-cardiac monitor, infusion pump, catheterisation and waiver of fees of specialists. What continues to be excluded are charges for diagnostic interventions, special drugs, use of special equipment, special procedures including surgery and extra oxygen flow.
The packages are given an all-new look and costs smartly camouflaged to force the common man into thinking that a lot is on offer. The crux of the matter is that, besides the Rs 1,000-2,000 reduction in room occupancy, there are no significant cuts reflected to relieve the common man of the financial burden. The packages are bulked-up with treatments, medicines and procedures that are rarely availed by regular Covid patients. An array of free of cost benefits on offer is unlikely to be availed by the majority of the patients in the normal course, and could only help critical patients.
The question is, by effecting such strategic manipulation, whose interest is the government trying to protect? Is it working for the citizens in distress or the private hospitals and a few others who are trying to make hay while Covid is peaking? In the standard 14-day stay, the common man will still end up paying a whopping Rs 1,40,000, only for occupying a bed in the general ward. This amount is basic and could rise higher if the patient is not fit for discharge in two weeks. Union Ayush minister Shripad Naik was shifted out of the Covid-19 ward of Manipal Hospitals, Dona Paula, after 20 days of treatment. He was advised three more weeks of hospitalisation for respiratory rehabilitation. The reluctance of the government in understanding people's affordability is showing while promoting a five-star hospital culture that is beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
If the concerns shown for Goans are genuine, then the government should have at least expedited the process of activating Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana. It's a pity that little attention is paid towards medical insurance even after six months of Covid. Private hospitals will try to capitalise on the situation, but the government must safeguard the interests of people. Given the current cap in fees, the fear of hospitalisation is far more overpowering than Covid. Efforts to cushion the financial blow on citizens must be genuine.
