With the COVID-19 epidemic curve in Kerala expected to scale the peak in the coming weeks, major private hospitals offering tertiary care are now in a preparatory mode, anticipating that they may be called in for providing critical care for COVID patients with complications.
“In all districts, at least four or five major private hospitals each will be able to provide critical care to COVID patients and in the next two weeks, we believe that at least 80 to 90 hospitals will be totally ready to step in as and when the situation turns. Only those hospitals, which can afford to have a demarcated area for COVID care, as well as separate additional infrastructure and, most crucially, human resources are coming forward for COVID care,” says A.V. Jayakrishnan, Chairman, IMA Hospital Board of India.
Many private hospitals are now treating patients who come in for general care and then get tested positive for COVID or their own staff members who contract the disease. Smaller hospitals who find COVID positive cases in their general patient pool refer them for care to either a government hospital or a private hospital that the patient prefers.
“Though most hospitals are ready, not all have begun admitting patients because till now the patient numbers have been manageable within the public health system. Now that all asymptomatic or very mild cases (Category A patients) are being given the option of home care, things have been easier,” says P. Gopikumar, State president, Indian Medical Association.
As the requirement for critical care of COVID patients escalate in the State in the coming days, bigger hospitals are expected to play a larger role than small or medium hospitals. The latter will step in only as required or else non-COVID patients will be affected adversely, he says.
The government has already fixed the cost of care that private hospitals may charge patients enrolled under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Paddhati and those patients whom government refers to private hospitals for care.
Accordingly, the ICU care for critically ill patients (without ventilator) will be ₹6,500 a day and ICU care with ventilator ₹11,500 a day.
However, patients in the affordable category or those who opt for private hospitals will have to pay the regular charges fixed by the hospital.
Informal enquiries put the average cost of care for a Category ‘A’ patient at ₹6,000 per day. Given that the average hospital stay of a COVID patient is about 10 days, the treatment course could be ₹60,000-80,000. However, this will be way higher for Category ‘B’ and ‘C’ patients, says Dr. Gopikumar.
“While the cost of care will differ from hospital to hospital, one should expect it to be more than 30-50% of what is charged for a hospital stay of 10-12 days. Cost of PPE kits, additional precautions required to be set up in hospitals and the heavy utilisation of human resources will all lead to cost escalation. Still the private sector costs will be much lesser than what is charged in other States,” says Dr. Jayakrishnan.
