As the coronavirus case numbers surge, the Union health ministry has asked private hospitals to pitch in. Private hospitals, which have been losing money during the three months of lockdown, are looking forward to treating patients again, and now say the government needs to take a collaborative approach instead of capping prices for covid treatment.
The Association of Private HealthCare Providers (AHPI), which represents a majority of healthcare providers in the country, submitted a detailed pricing plan for covid patients to the Centre on Monday. This included reimbursements for BPL families, a no-profit-no-loss pricing mechanism, and protocol to prevent cross infection.
Following complaints that hospitals were fleecing patients, states like Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have capped covid treatment rates at private hospitals. “The occupancy rate in hospitals across India has fallen drastically since March. Beds are vacant and we are willing to treat covid patients, but private hospitals are also facing a staff shortage. We are struggling to retain staff as we’ve had to cut salaries. There are many challenges. Capping costs for private hospitals must be studied to ensure quality care for patients,” said Dr Giridhar Gyani, Director General of AHPI, Delhi.
Corporate hospitals like Max Healthcare and Healthcare Global Enterprises have already been treating covid-19 patients. For patients with moderate symptoms, Max Healthcare is managing a 150-room isolation facility at ITC Sheraton in Saket, Delhi. “We are managing close to 1,000 covid beds and have treated over 2,000 covid patients. We have 1,970 healthcare workers taking care of these patients round the clock. We have rented quarantine facilities for our staff at five hotels. Accusations of profiteering are wrong,” said an official statement from the group.
Cancer care group HCG has been treating covid patients in Jaipur. “The government should fix costs or assure insurance to all covid patients getting treatment in private hospitals,” said Dr B S Ajai Kumar, chairman and CEO, Healthcare Global Enterprises.
Odisha has collaborated with private players in the state on a no-profit, no-loss basis. “It is important to segregate the private health industry into corporate, hospitals, private nursing homes and medical colleges. This will help the government understand the human resource requirement and infrastructure at the core of covid care. Every private hospital should not be converted to a covid centre,” said Dr U S Vishal Rao, surgical oncologist.
Indian Medical Association president Dr Rajan Sharma said: “The government should take us into confidence, discuss our financial compulsions and come up with an effective strategy. The healthcare fraternity, government and private, is working relentlessly at huge personal health risk and in the absence of legal immunity,” he said.
