CHENNAI: Even as the State witnessed a record single-day spike of 938 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar appealed to private hospitals not to fleece patients and instead treat them with a service mentality.
Addressing reporters at the new 1,400-bed COVID-19 care centre in Pulianthope, Chennai, the Health Minister said it was wrong to fleece patients during such a crisis. "We have spoken to private hospitals and have requested them to charge normally. If the instances persist, the government will take action under the Clinical Establishments Act," said Vijayabhaskar.
"We will fix rates for private hospitals as per their bed facilities and infrastructure. We have also discussed with them about slashing the price for COVID-19 tests. People with insurance will only be charged Rs 2,500 for a test," he said.
Meanwhile, six more COVID-19 deaths were reported in the State on Saturday, taking the toll to 160. The total number of cases stands at 21,184. On the brighter side, the discharge rate is a whopping 56 per cent. On Saturday, 687 people were discharged taking the total number of discharged people to 12,000, which is higher than the 9,021 active cases.
Among the six deaths reported on Saturday, two had no co-morbidities. Meanwhile, the State has ramped up testing facilities to 72 labs while 4.57 lakh people have been tested so far. "Apart from four medical colleges, 10 colleges are being used for screening and admitting people," said Vijayabhaskar.
The Minister further said more number of people coming from outside the State are being tested positive, and till now 991 people who have returned from Maharashtra tested positive. The Health Minister further requested the media to spread inspiring and positive stories on Covid-19 to instil confidence in people.