No pvt hospital can deny admission to Corona patients, directs Clinical regulatory body

Kolkata: West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Saturday unequivocally said that no private hospital can deny admission to a Covid patient under any circumstances.

If a private hospital faces any issues relating to the payment by the patient party it can contact the state Health department or the Commission.

In the wake of alleged demands of huge advance by some private hospitals at the time of admission, the WBCERC held a face-to-face meeting on Saturday to discuss various issues related to Covid treatment. WBCERC Chairperson, Justice (retired) Ashim Banerjee said that 5 fresh advisories have been issued to ease the cost burden of Covid treatment at the private hospitals.

The Commission also mandated the private hospitals to charge bed fees which were fixed on March 1 this year when Covid did not appear. They should not charge any extra money for bed and all the intensive critical care services are included within the bed charge.

WBCERC has also decided to mandate at least 10 per cent discount on medicine bills and at least 20 per cent discount on the costs of masks and gloves used by the doctors and health workers at the private hospitals. The decision has been taken by the WBCERC during the meeting. The Commission will ask the private hospitals to provide a minimum 10 percent discount on medicines or else they must allow the patient and their family members to buy medicines from outside.

The doctors are entitled to get fees of Rs 1000 per visit. If the situation demands multiple visits by the doctors for any intensive care, the hospital can charge another Rs 1000 as an extra fee for the doctors. The private hospitals have been asked to put up rate charges at three places – reception, entry point and cash counter. The Commission has also sought a place inside the compound of the private hospitals where hoarding can be installed featuring the mail ID and phone number of the WBCERC.

The Commission has also formed two committees consisting three doctors in each to determine the pathology and investigation cost. There are 3 pathologists and 3 radiologists in each team.