PANJIM: In a major development, the State government on Sunday kept in abeyance the notification that had covered the COVID-19 treatment in the private hospitals under its universal health insurance scheme – the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY).
The move comes four days after the notification was issued in the Official Gazette by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS).
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Speaking to Herald, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane confirmed that the notification covering COVID-19 treatment under DDSSY has been kept in abeyance. “The file has been re-submitted and a fresh notification will be issued cancelling the earlier one,” he said.
Under the DDSSY, for COVID-19 treatment, for the patients with moderate symptoms Rs 4,600 per day will be paid with provision of Rs 64,400 for a 14 day package. For patients with severe symptoms Rs 6,600 will be paid per day with Rs 92,400 package.
Rane said that the decision to cancel the notification was taken after consulting the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.
“The private hospitals are already offering packages, which are capped and notified by the government,” he said.
The Health Minister further said treatment is offered free of cost in all the government-run facilities for the patients for which we are spending lakhs of rupees.
“The decision to cover the treatment under DDSSY was taken in February and accordingly, the file was moved. However, the notification has come now. Since February, till now, things have changed drastically and there is no question of DDSSY for now,” Rane said.
As per the capped rates in private hospitals, the rent for a bed in a general ward is Rs 10,000 per day. The rates for rooms – on a twin sharing basis – Rs 13,000 per day and
Rs 16,000 per day is the limit set for a single private room.
The patient have to shell out Rs 24,000 per day for a bed in the ICU with a ventilator.
The government included in the package intensivist, primary and specialist consultant charges, cardiac monitor, infusion pump, X-ray, USG, liver function test, complete blood count test, 2D Echo, Catheterization, sugar test, etc. These interventions had been initially excluded from the package.
Further, other regular expenses like admissions, bed charges, nursing services, resident doctor fee, nutritional diet, PPE kits for the staff and routinely prescribed medicines including multi-vitamin, Zinc, Vitamin D and C, paracetamol, etc are included in the rates.
The package, however, does not include diagnostic interventions, special drugs, use of special equipment, other special procedures like surgery and extra oxygen flow other than ICU.
