WARANGAL: IN yet another case of exploitation of Covid-19 patients, a photojournalist working in a Telugu newspaper in Warangal had been billed Rs 28.99 lakh by Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad.
Though Health Minister Eatala Rajender keeps saying that even in private hospitals, the total bill for treatment of Coronavirus should not exceed Rs 1 lakh, in practice it is more in the breach.
As against the Rs 28.99 lakh bill, 44-year-old photojournalist Belide Srinivas’ family has paid Rs 12 lakh so far. Srinivas was admitted to Yashoda Hospital after he tested positive for Covid-19 and was initially kept on ventilator for 20 days.
Later, tracheotomy was done on him.
The insurance company paid Rs 5 lakh and his family has paid Rs 12 lakh in cash for the treatment. Srinivas’ condition is still critical.
He is a native of Zaffergadh mandal in Jangaon district.
Family members are seeking help from the State government.Srinivas’ wife Swathi says that he was admitted to Yashoda Hospital after he had trouble breathing.
“They have so far charged Rs 28.99 lakh for 20 days of treatment. We paid Rs 17 lakh including the part paid by the insurance company. The hospital staff are insisting that we clear the balance amount. We do not have money and our only source of income is my husband’s salary,” she says.
To help Srinivas, fellow photographers and journalists are trying to go in for crowd funding.
According to the Warangal Press Club president Thumma Sridhar Reddy, the issue was taken to the notice of the Minister concerned but so far there is no response.