Covid patients struggle with pvt hospital bills

NEW DELHI: The cost of treatment across procedures in private hospitals has gone up by 10-25% with non-Covid patients being charged for personal protective equipment (PPE) used by medical staff and extra sanitisation measures. What has added to the woes is the fact that insurance companies are not covering this extra cost of PPEs being billed to patients.With lockdown measures being eased, private hospitals have started out-patient services and elective surgeries. But the non-Covid patients are finding their healthcare bills rising. The worst-hit are those undergoing regular blood transfusions, dialysis and chemotherapies. These patients increasingly find the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) being added to their regular treatments. A Fortis Healthcare spokesperson said, “Overall, the costs have increased for us. Disinfection, sterilizations, infection control, setting up isolation wards, staff rotations and quarantines, responsible waste disposal and comprehensive disinfection are all essential now. Physical distancing has also increased logistics costs… However, for patients, there has been a minimal increase due to Covid testing (where required as per protocol) and PPE usage.”Fortis pegged the percentage increase between 3 and 5%. “It is important to note that any increase is attributable to the direct input cost for that patient and doesn’t cover the increased expenses incurred for ensuring an infection-free and safe environment,” said the spokesperson. “There is no increase in the cost for chemotherapy and dialysis. For elective surgeries, where PPE is required, the cost of the actual PPE being used is added. Also, to ensure minimal impact on patient, the price of PPE is being charged at much lower than the MRP.” While PPE is mandatory for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, the fact that 80% of them are asymptomatic has made healthcare facilities even more concerned about the safety of their healthcare workers. What has hit the patients harder is the fact that insurance companies are increasingly not covering PPE cost for non-Covid treatment. "We cover cost of treatment for an insured person. PPE usage for a non-Covid patient is not part of the treatment ," said an official of a private insurance company.

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