Kerala fixes tariff for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals

The Kerala government has issued guidelines regulating the treatment cost for COVID-19 in private hospitals. Health Minister KK Shailaja in a press statement issued on Friday said that the treatment cost for COVID-19 should be uniform across all private hospitals that provide treatment for the disease. This is also applicable for the private hospitals that have been included under the government’s health insurance scheme Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP).

“Like any other disease, for COVID-19 as well people can seek treatment at any hospital of their choice; be it in the private or government sector,” the Kerala Health Minister stated. 

The cost has been fixed at Rs 2300 per day for general ward, Rs 3300 for High Dependency Unit (HDU) and Rs 6500 for Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The per day cost for a ventilator has been fixed at Rs 11,500. The government has also allowed hospitals to charge patients for the cost of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).

The treatment for COVID-19 patients who are covered under KASP will be totally borne by the state health agency while the expense of those who are referred to a private hospital from a government care centre will be borne by the state, the Health Minister said.

“The government and the private sector will fight the pandemic together. Twenty eight government hospitals had been equipped for the treatment of COVID-19 patients from the beginning. Now that COVID-19 patients are being admitted in private hospitals, the facilities for COVID-19 examination has also been expanded. Facilities for triage test and for swab collection for the needy have been made available in all government and private hospitals,” the statement further reads.

The government has also capped the cost of COVID-19 testing. The price of Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, considered the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis has been fixed at Rs 2750; antigen test is Rs 625, Expert Nat test is Rs 3000 and Truenat test (Step One) is Rs 1500. 

COVID-19 tests can be done at any of the private hospitals or private labs that have been approved by the government. 

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