Tirupati: private hospitals to get notices for lapses in Covid services

Tirupati: Amid growing concerns over the fleecing of Covid patients in private hospitals, Joint Collector (Development) V Veerabrahmam conducted surprise checks on Saturday and found several lapses. He directed the officials to issue notices to those hospitals for not following the required protocols.

There were several complaints on private hospitals extending Covid care that they are charging exorbitant prices ignoring the government prescribed fee structure. Patients in their anguish get admitted when they are infected rushing to several hospitals in search of beds and agreeing to the terms of hospital authorities.

Some hospitals even charge huge amounts for Covid testing assuring to give RT-PCR reports much earlier though they are not having testing facilities. They are sending the samples to approved centres and misleading the people. In this backdrop, Joint Collector (D) Veerabrahmam visited some of the hospitals and took note of whether they displayed the tariff, uploading them online along with their vitals. Accordingly, he visited Sri Maruthi, Sankalpa and Rama Devi hospitals and found a few lapses. While issuing notices, he warned them that such things should not be repeated. At Sri Maruthi hospital the JC found that the Aarogyasri tariff was not displayed despite several intimations by officials. As they are having oxygen facility for only 45 beds out of the approved 75 beds, he asked them to provide the facility to the remaining beds. The patients have expressed satisfaction on the medical services and food.

Sankalpa hospital has displayed the Covid tariffs but not Aarogyasri patients' tariff. The JC directed them to provide that also and upload the bed details every two hours in the app. All the 120 beds are occupied there.

Veerabrahmam asked Dr Kishore of Rama Devi hospital to upload the vital details of both critical and non-critical cases and the available beds position online. He directed the Aarogyasri Coordinator Dr Balanjaneyulu to issue notices to the hospitals on the lapses found.

It may be noted that there were a total 1,596 Covid beds in private hospitals across the district and many of them were occupied as the cases are increasing everyday. Meanwhile the district reported 1,306 new positive cases on Friday.

Out of 66 mandals, 48 mandals reported five or more cases while Tirupati urban leads the table with 374 cases followed by Tirupati Rural with 78 cases, Chittoor – 68, Srikalahasti – 61, Renigunta – 46, Madanapalle – 44, Pakala – 43 and Palamaner – 41 cases. All the remaining 18 mandals have reported one or more cases.

With this the total positive cases in the district touched 1,10,000 mark while the active cases are around 12,000. The Covid deaths are being reported everyday taking the tally to about 945.