The district health authorities have scaled up surveillance to curb alleged malpractices, including overcharging of patients by some errant private healthcare providers, amid the second wave of the pandemic.
The district administration has already appointed a special officer to monitor the functioning of private hospitals notified as COVID care centres and ensure their strict compliance with the stipulated norms governing the treatment tariff.
Acting on a specific complaint, a team of health officials led by special officer Dr. Sujatha raided a private laboratory on Thursday. The officials found the organisers of the lab conducting COVID-19 tests without valid permission and subsequently sealed the lab, sources added.
The raid followed allegations of fleecing of patients by some errant private healthcare facilities by taking advantage of the huge demand for COVID-19 testing and treatment services in the district.
There have been persistent demands from several elected representatives of the Agency mandals to ramp up COVID-19 testing at the designated test centres.
Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah sought sanction of more COVID-19 testing kits to scale up testing at the Government Area Hospital in Bhadrachalam town to effectively combat the pandemic in tribal areas.
