16 May 2021  |   06:31am IST

Govt to take over 50% of beds of 21 pvt hospitals

Team Herald

PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Saturday announced that from Monday the State government will take over 50 per cent of the beds of 21 private hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients. A notification/order in this regard will be issued on Sunday, he said.

Addressing the media, Sawant said that despite asking the 21 private hospital managements to allocate 50 per cent of beds to COVID-19 patients they failed to do so. Therefore from Monday, the government will take control of these private hospitals and provide free of cost treatment to COVID-19 patients covered under the Deen Dayal Swastha Seva (DDSS) yojana.

“From Monday our (govt) officers will take control of these 21 private hospitals providing treatment to COVID-19 patients and directly will do admissions in their respective hospitals. These hospitals will be managed by the respective staff while the government will reimburse 100 per cent hospital fees,” Sawant said.

The Chief Minister said that it has come to the notice of the government that some private hospital managements were charging exorbitant fees from COVID patients, more than the scheduled rates prescribed by the government. Despite informing them some hospitals refused to honour DDSSY and were found overcharging and were billing patients as per their whims. 

Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the government has taken a bold decision to take control of the admissions of these 21 private hospitals. Citing an example, he said that following the death of a patient, the amount covered under the DDSS medical insurance scheme was Rs 3.50 lakh but this family was billed for Rs 7 lakh and refused to release the body till full payment was made.

The Chief Minister said that so far 4,15,967 persons have been vaccinated against Coronavirus in the State. People 45 years and above who were partially vaccinated were 2,29,291 and fully vaccinated were 93,338. Goa still has over a lakh vaccine doses, he informed.

Similarly, 3589 people in the 18-44 age group were vaccinated on the first day on Saturday.