Recently, it was alleged and reported that Patel Hospital was charging more than the standard rates set on behalf of the Government for COVID-19 Testing.
After investigating the matter the DC, Mr Ghanshyam has now forwarded the latter part of the investigation to senior officials from the Health Department.
In the midst of all of this, Patel Hospital's management has issued a statement in public which reads as follows:
"We do not agree with the findings of the esteemed grievance relations officer observing that the cost of sample collection and PPE etc is included in testing cost for Corona virus which is capped at 2400/ for private labs only vide a government order. Patel Hospital is not a private laboratory but includes several other facilities like isolation wards, Oxygen supply etc. As per the Fateh Punjab Policy, Covid testing is done for Covid suspects as per ICMR guidelines, the COVID suspect needs to be admitted and isolated till such time the report is available. The isolation ward charges fixed by the government as Rs 9000/- per day as per letter number COVID-19/NHM/Pb/20/2121 including Rs 1200 Rs towards PPE charges. The rates fixed are applicable to private Laboratories only where samples allready collected are sent for analysis whereas Patel Hospital is expected to Collect the sample and isolate the patient till report is available. The capped cost does not include Sample collection charges or isolation charges which are besides this. The isolation ward charges fixed by the government as Rs 9000 per day. Besides this Civil Hospital authorities have allready fixed Rs 1000/ towards sample collection charges vide letter no IDSP/NHM/Pb/20/6019-6040 Personal protective equipment and its proper deployment is necessary to protect healthcare workers from transmission of covid to them even as they battle for the city. Typically Level 3 PPE to be used for the collection and conduct of the test costs between 600 to 750 rs. Additionally Niosh certified N95 facemasks typically costing 300 rs are also used by the sample collection team. 2 health care workers are used to collect samples. Therefore the cost of PPE for collecting a sample is more than the capped cost of the test and as such cannot be included in the test cost. Even as more than 9 hospital staff have tested positive for corona and nearly 20 other staff is either under quarantine or observation, Patel hospital is continuing to perform yeoman service to the city. Instead of capping the cost of the test the government should cap the cost of the PPE and the N95 masks as well as the cost of the Machine used to conduct the tests and its cartridges. This will help in controlling costs and not control cost by putting healthcare workers at risk. We will lodge a complaint against overcharging by the various companies involved in the activity".