Telangana to set up task force to monitor fees for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals

The Telangana government would appoint a task force committee to monitor the fees being charged by private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Wednesday. He assured members that tough action would be taken against those hospitals trying to fleece patients.

"It is very atrocious, is this the time (during the pandemic) to earn money, at a time when the whole world is suffering....We will appoint a task force with a senior IAS officer and take their report," he said in the Legislative Assembly during a short discussion on COVID-19 situation. Rao was responding to Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarkas comments over allegations that private hospitals charged exorbitant fees for COVID-19 treatment.

The state government had earlier barred some hospitals from treating COVID-19 patients on complaints over billing. Rao, who dismissed opposition Congress and BJP criticism against the state government on COVID-19 management, said the state is doing well, including with regard to fatalities and number of people recovering from the infectious disease.

The government has increased the number of tests and is keen on ramping up testing further, he said. Rao said the state government has improved health facilities, including recruitment of doctors, availability of medicines like remdesivir and oxygen beds in government hospitals, to deal with the pandemic.

Talking about opposition Congress and BJP criticism, he claimed the state governments Arogya Sri health scheme, introduced by late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy-led Congress government in undivided Andhra Pradesh, is better than the Centres Ayushman Bharat. He said his government is continuing the Arogya Sri scheme as it is a good one.

Arogya Sri provides better coverage compared to Ayushman Bharat, Rao said. He recalled having told Governor (Tamilisai Soundararajan) that the state government would be ready to implement Ayushman Bharat if the Centre permits using it on the lines of a model being implemented in Tamil Nadu.

"But, BJP leaders say you have to take our scheme, ours is superior.Raja Singh ji (BJP MLA), your Ayushman Bharat is inferior compared to Arogya Sri. It is not as concrete as Arogya Sri.It does not have the coverage of Arogya Sri.You will be disappointed if you claim it is great.Better stop that argument.That is good for you," he said.

BJP president J P Nadda and other party leaders had earlier criticised the TRS government for not implementing Ayushman Bharat health scheme in the state. On AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisis query about the assistance and equipment provided by the Centre to the state to fight COVID-19, the chief minister said no special assistance has come from the Centre.

He said Rs 256 crore has been released routinely under National Health Mission, besides a separate release of Rs 90 crore. The state government has purchased 700 to 800 ventilators and the Centre has provided 647 ventilators.The cost of the ventilators provided by the Centre is being cut from the grants to the state, the chief minister said.

The Centre has not accepted the state governments request to restructure loans.Though the Centre has increased FRBM limits, it imposed conditions, Rao claimed. On the AIMIM floor leaders comments that the state should have some share in the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by city-based Bharat Biotech, the chief minister said the state government is ensuring that the state would get first priority if the vaccine is made there.

BJP's Raja Singh said the state government says it has done good work and that there is no cooperation from the Centre. But, it should at least say what help has been received from the Centre.

"They won't say that.But, they would say there is no cooperation.It's ok.That is politics," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)