CHENNAI: The State Government has revised the cost of Covid treatment in private hospitals for both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).
In a Government Order dated May 22, it stated that under the CMCHIS, non-critical cases without oxygen support will be charged Rs 5,000 per day, non-critical cases with oxygen support will be charged Rs 15,000, patients needing ICU with invasive ventilation Rs 35,000, patients needing ICU with non-invasive ventilation, CPAP and BiPAP oxygen devices Rs 30,000, and patients needing ICU with only oxygen support Rs 25,000. The cost of medicines and other ICU tests will also be borne by the government.
For those not covered under the CMCHIS, non-critical patients not needing oxygen support will have to pay Rs 7,500 per day at Grade A1 and A2 hospitals, and Rs 5,000 at Grade A3 to A6 hospitals. In the same category, non-critical patients requiring oxygen support Rs 15,000 can be charged per day, while those needing ICU with non-invasive ventilation, CPAP and BiPAP oxygen devices will be charged Rs 30,000.
Further, patients needing ICU with invasive ventilation will be charged Rs 35,000, and those needing ICU with only oxygen support will be charged Rs 25,000. The Government had graded the hospitals based on infrastructure, bed strength and other facilities. Patients who wish to receive treatment in private hospitals under the CMCHIS, now require no referral form from a government doctor to avail benefits, the G.O. said.
Erring hosps to face the music
The State had graded the hospitals based on their infrastructure and other facilities. The new rates will be reconsidered within two months as per the then Covid situation. Previously, asymptomatic and mild cases in Grade A1 to A4 multi speciality hospitals were charged Rs 5,000 per day in the general ward. ICU treatment with all facilities cost Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 in Grade AI and A2 hospitals, while Grade A3 and A4 hospitals could charge the patients Rs 9,000 to Rs 13,500. Hospitals that charge more than the rates fixed by the State will be suspended from the empanelled hospital list under the CMCHIS. Public can register complaints regarding the rates at 1800 425 3993, or 104.