THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has asked private hospitals to set apart at least 25% of their beds exclusively for Covid patients. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday private hospitals have been asked to share information on beds available to the district medical officer concerned so that patients can be admitted according to bed availability. Hospitals in the non-government sector have also been asked to provide services of doctors and other healthcare staff who are proficient in Covid treatment whenever the district authorities demand for the same.
Private hospitals have also been told to give priority to patients who are seriously ill while allotting ICU beds. All private hospitals should charge only the treatment rates fixed by the government.The CM also asked hospitals in the private sector to empanel themselves with the state health agency. Treatment expenses of patients covered under Karunya scheme will be reimbursed to private hospitals within 15 days, the chief minister said. During the first phase of Covid, the state had allocated `60.47 crore to private hospitals for treatment of Karunya beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the chief minister said he has once again written to the prime minister saying it was unfair to charge states for Covid vaccine. Neither was the price prescribed for vaccines reasonable, he added. The PM should intervene to provide vaccines free of cost to the states and at a nominal price to the private sector.
The CM said the same Covid vaccine is being provided at three rates --- `150 for the Centre, `400 for states and `600 for private hospitals.“The price, `400, to be paid by the state is more than the rate in which governments in US, UK or European Union procure vaccine directly from the market,” he said. Quoting reports, Pinarayi said Serum Institute was providing vaccine at a lower rate to countries such as Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and South Africa than the amount charged from states. If Covid vaccine is provided at a rate of `600 per dose to private hospitals, India would become a country that provides vaccine at the highest rate, he pointed out.
