Kerala fixes rates for COVID-19 treatment, lays down norms

As the coronavirus cases are on the rise in the state, the Kerala government on Saturday issued an order fixing rates for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals and laying down guidelines in this regard. State Health Minister KK Shailaja said the order has been issued to all the private hospitals empanelled under Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) and the government- referred patients in private healthcare institutions which are not under the KSAP.

The State health agency (SHA), which implements the KSAP, has issued the guidelines. "Patients can seek medical care from any government or private hospitals. Both the sectors have come together to fight the pandemic COVID-19," the Minister said.

The state government had already set up 28 government hospitals to treat the patients alone, Shailaja said in a press release. As per the order, the general ward rates would be Rs 2,300 per day while the high dependency unit (HDU) would cost Rs 3,300.

The ICU rates would be Rs 6,500 but with ventilator, it would be Rs 11,500. The RTPCRtest would cost Rs 2,750, antigen test Rs 625, expert NAT Rs 3,000, Truenat step-one and step-two tests Rs 1,500 each.

KASP was launched by the LDF government on April 1, last year. Families who have enrolled in KASP would get annual insurance coverage worth Rs five lakh.

Meanwhile, the state reported 1,103 new active COVID-19 cases and discharged 1,049 patients. Of the cases detected during the day, 838 are of local transmission and the source of contact of 72 patients was unknown.