Coronavirus: Transparency is the best remedy for fear
In a welcome move, the Tamil Nadu government has capped the rates private hospitals in the state can charge for treating patients with COVID-19. Similarly, it has imposed a ceiling of Rs 3,000 for testing for the infection at private hospitals and labs. This move came after there were several media reports of private hospitals overcharging and fleecing patients. This newspaper has also reported the complaints of government doctors that private hospitals were sending patients to government facilities once they were too ill or had run out of money to cover their treatment costs.
While one could argue that private hospitals, as businesses, have the right to set their own prices for treatment, it must also be noted that the private sector benefits from government support and sops funded by taxpayers. Amid a raging pandemic, the government has essentially forced the private sector to step up.
Alongside these interventions, the state has also made a dashboard of bed status at private hospitals available on its Covid website. This data is being made available amid rumours and allegations that the capital city, which recently crossed the 20,000 figure for cases, is running out of beds. Indeed, a glance at the dashboard shows that the best-known hospitals have no more space for COVID-19 patients.
While this transparency is welcome, it is puzzling that this information only pertains to the status of beds in the private sector. Though the state has made public the total number of beds available in government facilities as well, it is imperative that it also make available information on the live status of beds at these hospitals and care centres. A live dashboard of that nature would go a long way in quelling rumours about government hospitals falling short of beds and ensure COVID-19 patients are able to make informed decisions in a timely manner rather than try their luck at each hospital, losing valuable time in the process.
Transparency is the best remedy for fear and panic, and the state, having embraced it in the reporting of new cases, must similarly extend it so that residents can be aware of how grim or comfortable the situation may be.