Pune: Private hospitals warned of strict action over not implementing benefits of MJPJAY for Covid patients

Warning hospitals of strict action for not extending the scheme to beneficiaries, Deshmukh said, “If hospitals don’t increase beneficiaries, we will cancel their licence,” he said, adding that so far, 7,000 Covid patients had been recorded as beneficiaries of the scheme.

The collector said he held meeting with hospitals over the matter. “The district administration is committed to increasing beneficiaries under the plan. During the review meeting for the plan, it was noticed that several hospitals are refusing to extend benefits under the scheme to patients,” he said.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar said, “Out of 40 hospitals treating Covid patients, there are only five to six have enrolled under the plan. They have to implement rates as per Annexure C of the state government’s resolution of May 21.”

Hardikar said 80 per cent beds in private hospitals were reserved for Covid patients. “They have to levy charges as per the government resolution. We have already formed squads to check bills. If they are found to be overcharging, we are issuing notices and taking action. Already, we have found that hospitals have overcharged patients to the tune of Rs 1 crore,” he said.

Amol Mhaske, in-charge of the Pune division of the MJPJAY, said, “The scheme is applicable to Covid patients with moderate or severe symptoms. It is applicable to those below the poverty line and also above. It is not applicable to patients who are asymptomatic.”

Mhaske said the scheme was started by the state government in 2012. He said, “It is applicable to both Covid and non-Covid hospitals,” adding that the scheme was voluntary, and that it was applicable in 78 hospitals in the Pune district.

“Under the scheme, treatment is free for Covid patients. The government reimburses the bill to the hospital. All treatment and medicines, except remdesivir injections, are covered under the scheme,” he said.

Shrikrishna Joshi, spokesperson for Lokmanya hospital in Nigdi, said, “Out of 1,000 Covid patients treated at our hospital, we have extended the benefit to 150.”

Joshi said, “The scheme has now been extended to those who hold yellow, orange or white ration cards. In the general ward, there is a reimbursement cap of Rs 18,000 and in the ICU, the limit is up to Rs 25,000 and Rs 36,000, depending on ventilator or oxygen beds.”

Joshi also said, “Since there is a cap, which will be reimbursed by the government, especially for the ICU, some private hospitals may be refusing to extend the scheme. We are, however, extending the scheme irrespective of the bill amount. If the amount goes higher than the cap, our hospital has to bear losses.”

Poor patients continue to struggle to get beds in civic-run Covid hospitals. On Tuesday, a resident of Bhosari had to wait for four hours outside the Covid Care Centre in Bhosari.

“The hospital told the patient that there are no beds available. The patient and his wife sat outside the centre for a good four hours. Later, they were told to go to YCMH, from where he was told to go to Auto Cluster in Chinchwad. Finally, he got admission,” said Lahoo Landge, the patient’s relative.

In another instance, YCMH doctors told a serious patient to look for a ventilator bed in some other hospital. “My father was in the ICU of YCMH for 10 days. He was then taken out and admitted to general ward. He was told that he had recovered. Two days later, however, my father was told to look for ventilator bed and told that he was critical. At this juncture, how can we look for a bed,” said Sanjay Jangam of Chinchwad.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Santosh Patil said, “At present, all beds are full at YCMH and at other facilities. The jumbo hospital has 400 beds as of now. We will soon increase the bed intake.”