Keeping tab on fees of pvt COVID hospitals: Nagpur collector

Sales tax and GST officials were given training a few days back to keep a check on the rates being charged by hospitals in Nagpur, Resident Deputy Collector Ravindra Khajanji said on Wednesday. The officials concerned are monitoring whether the state government's regulations on charges for treatment of COVID-19 patients are being followed, Collector Ravindra Thakre told PTI.

The district administration here in Maharashtra has deputed its officials to monitor rates being charged by private COVID-19 hospitals following complaints of some medical facilities charging hefty amounts from patients. Sales tax and GST officials were given training a few days back to keep a check on the rates being charged by hospitals in Nagpur, Resident Deputy Collector Ravindra Khajanji said on Wednesday.

The officials concerned are monitoring whether the state government's regulations on charges for treatment of COVID-19 patients are being followed, Collector Ravindra Thakre told PTI. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is also keeping an eye on the fees of private hospitals in the city.

There are six private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in the city. The NMC has formed a team, comprising auditors and doctors, which visits the hospitals to check if the state government's charge slabs are being followed, additional municipal commissioner Jalaj Sharma said.

The state government in May decided to regulate rates for 80 per cent of the operational bed capacity in private hospitals treating coronavirus patients. Till Wednesday, Nagpur district reported 10,982 COVID-19 cases and 400 deaths due to the disease, as per official figures.