Team Herald
PANJIM: While the Goa government has set a high cap on fees for COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals, the notified amendment to the Deen Dayal Swastha Seva Yojna (DDSSY) grants beneficiaries less than 50 per cent of the capped amount.
The benefit under the DDSSY for Corona Virus (moderate) and Corona Virus (severe) patients provides a maximum 14-day package at Rs 64,400 and Rs 92,400 respectively.
The amendment has been notified with a condition that a hospital raise a pre-auth request, with a referral letter from a government hospital and a copy of the COVID-19 positive report to be submitted.
As per the package, the amount for a moderate corona patient includes bed rent at Rs 1,200 per day, investigations (daily CBC and ABG) at Rs 800 per day, supportive treatment at Rs 2,000 per day and doctors consultation at Rs 600 per day. The per-day cost here comes to Rs 4,600.
This comes in stark contrast to the amount the government had recently capped in private hospitals. Here, the rent for a bed in a general ward has been set at a whopping Rs 10,000 per day, whereas rates for rooms – on twin sharing basis – has been capped at Rs 13,000 and Rs 16,000 per day for a single private room.
A patient shells out Rs 24,000 per day for a bed in the ICU with a ventilator in a private hospital whereas the DDSSY will provide ‘cost of ventilator with 2 @ Rs 2,000 day’ even as the other package cost for severe patients remains the same as moderate patients.
The government had come under a scathing attack from the opposition over higher charges at private hospitals forcing it to consider revision of the rates. However, the insignificant reduction in rates also provided no relief.
The DDSSY amendment is also expected to provide little help to patients undergoing treatment at private hospitals. More interestingly, not all private hospitals come under the government scheme.
