Covid crisis: Legislation sought to regulate medical expenses

Even as the families of patients, both Covid-19 and non-Covid, are struggling to arrange finances for their treatment at a time of Covid crisis, a social activist in Mysuru has urged the state government to enact a law or pass an ordinance to regulate the cost of the services in the private healthcare sector.

Aravinda Sharma, president of Samagra Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, said that the government should implement something like Corona Treatment Expenses Regulation Act.

“While the patients suffer and fight against the infection or disease, in a hospital ward, their family members strive to mobilise the funds required to foot the bills of the hospital, irrespective of ‘life or death’ of the patient. Besides, getting admission to a hospital is a Herculean task. Hospitals demand huge amounts, as advance deposit, for admission. Those who have a good health insurance are a bit relieved in this respect,” Sharma said.

“It is the responsibility of any government, to solve such problems of the citizens. Healthcare is a right of any citizen. If not free healthcare, the government should ensure that the financial burden on the patient and his family is reduced, judiciously. The private institutions, with profit-motive, exploit the citizens, if the government does not take stringent measures,” he said.

“Under each District Disaster Management Authority, a committee should be formed, to check victimisation by private hospitals, in a medical emergency like this. A retired judge can head the committee, comprising the MP, MLAs, MLCs concerned, a retired doctor from the Defence forces, and a social activist,” Sharma said.

Associate professor with Mysuru-based Karnataka State Open University Shalvapille Iyengar, who lost his father-in-law S Rajagopal, to Covid and comorbidities on Thursday, also has some advice to the government. It has to be recalled that Rajagopal, a resident of Denkanikote in Tamil Nadu, who complained of fatigue on Saturday (April 24) afternoon, was brought to Mysuru on Sunday (April 25), following difficulty in getting treatment in Hosur and Krishnagiri. In Mysuru also, Rajagopal got admission in a private hospital, after trying over 10 hospitals.

“A mobile app can be developed to give a chart of charges for bed, oxygenated bed, ICU bed, ventilator and other services of hospitals, both government and private, for the people to verify and compare. This app can also be used by the doctors to allot a suitable hospital and appropriate services to a particular patient,” he said.

He said that there should be transparency in diagnosis, tests and treatment, so that nothing is hidden from the caretakers of a particular patient.