Kakinada: Patients pay through nose despite having Aarogyasri cards

Kakinada: Like termites, the private hospitals in East Godavari district are eating into government motto of providing free medical care on Arogyasri card.

The cards are of no use for many poor families now as the greedy private hospitals insist on cash for treatment of Covid disease. Despite having the card, many patients have been paying from their pocket for the treatment which is supposed to be extended free of cost as guaranteed by government.

With their family members of death bed, many BPL families have not been in a position to remind the rules to the private hospitals which stooped to all time-low levels in looting the patients mercilessly. For many hospitals, the peak of second wave has turned out to be a life time opportunity to mint money There is no limit to the thirst for ill-gotten money of the private hospitals as the official machinery watch as mute spectators.

The Covid patients are harassed for payment of high fees by the private hospitals despite having Aarogyasri cards. As government hospitals are running short of oxygen and ventilator beds, Covid patients are compelled to approach the private hospitals in the district.

According to sources, some private hospitals are collecting fees despite showing the Arogyasree card. And they are not permitted to pay through debit card or online. Only cash payment is accepted in the private hospitals in the district.

People are thronging medical shops in view of the doctors prescribing too many medicines.

The official figure of oxygen beds in government hospitals hardly matching with the real number of beds available. The Covid patients are commenting that the officials are coming and going without really attending to their actual requirements and health needs.

YSR Aarogyasri district coordinator Dr P Radha Krishna told 'The Hans India' that as per GO 210, the private hospital managements have to allot 50 per cent of beds under Aarogyasri scheme. He added that those who don't admit Arogyasri card holders in their hospitals would face stringent action.

The recognition of such hospitals will also be cancelled. He said that around Rs 1.7 crore penalties were recovered from 44 private hospitals on charges of not admitting the Covid-19 patients under Aarogyasri scheme.

He said that 54 private hospitals and two government hospitals are notified as Covid hospitals in the district. He said that all Covid patients will be admitted and good medical treatment will be provided to them. He said that cluster nodal and vigilance officers will supervise and monitor the progress of Covid patients admitted in the notified hospitals in the district.

Meanwhile, despite maximum precautionary measures taken by the officials, the Covid -19 cases are enormously increasing in the district. Death toll is also increasing and people are getting panicky.

According to the bulletin, the district has recorded the highest number of 33,893 active cases compared with other districts in the State. Similarly, the death toll has also increased to 911in the district.

District health authorities reported here on Monday that 2,652 persons were found infected with the second wave of Covid-19 in the district. The total active cases climbed to 2,08,508 and recovered are 1,73,704.