With the second spell of COVID-19 taking a serious turn, the focus is once again on the exorbitant fee being charged by a few private hospitals earmarked for treating virus-affected people.
The meeting conducted by Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayanaswamy, Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and District Collector M. Hari Narayanan, among others, on Sunday laid emphasis on the issue of “fleecing” by taking advantage of the precarious situation.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy minced no words while warning the hospital managements that they would have to face action for such steps.
“We have also received complaints about hospitals charging exorbitantly for Remdesivir injections. You (hospitals) should use the opportunity provided by the government to serve the patients, but not fleece them,” he said.
He called it unfortunate to charge patients between ₹25,000 and ₹50,000 in the name of treatment.
The Minister also asked the officials to announce the result on the same day of collecting the swab sample.
‘Increase bed strength’
Though there were 1,971 beds, 294 of them equipped with ventilator, at SVIMS and Ruia Hospital in Tirupati, at district hospitals in Chittoor and Madanapalle, at the Srikalahasti and Kuppam area hospitals and at Renigunta railway hospital, the bed strength should be increased, said Mr. Narayanaswamy.
Of the 4,20,582 samples tested so far this year, 22,155 turned out ot be positive, said Mr. Hari Narayanan.
Member of Parliament (Chittoor) N. Reddeppa, legislators B. Karunakar Reddy and B. Madhusudhan Reddy, MCT Commissioner P.S. Girisha, and Superintendent of Police (Tirupati Urban) Ch. Venkata Appala Naidu also took part.
The Collector later made a surprise visit to SVIMS, Ruia and SV Ayurvedic hospitals where he urged strengthening of triage.
