Delivery charges in govt hospitals abolished

The Punjab Health Department, through a notification, has abolished delivery charges in government hospitals in the state.

The Punjab Health Department, through a notification, has abolished delivery charges in government hospitals in the state. As per the earlier charges, that were effective from October 16, 2000, Rs 300 were charged in government hospitals against each delivery.

The office of Bathinda Civil Surgeon today received the Health and Family Welfare Department notification (dated October 24). As per the notification, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, the parchi fee (OPD slip fee) has been increased from Re 1 to Rs 2. The air-conditioned and cooler room charges have also been doubled from Rs 25 and Rs 5 to Rs 50 and Rs 10, respectively. The ambulance charges have been hiked from Rs 3.5 per kilometre to Rs 5 per kilometre. The notification has been issued following a Cabinet approval on the issue.

Health officials say abolishing the delivery charges is aimed at promoting institutional delivery and discouraging delivery at home, as per the guidelines of the National Rural Health Mission.

Story continues below this ad

The information accessed by The Indian Express from the office of District Registrar, Birth and Death, revealed that of the total 1,565 births in Bathinda district in October 2008, 359 deliveries took place in homes. In terms of percentage, the home deliveries account for almost 23 per cent of total deliveries.

“In deliveries at homes, there is always a risk of complications. The abolition of delivery charges would go a long way in promoting institutional delivery,” said Bathinda Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Indu Bhushan Aggarwal.

Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, while terming the abolition of delivery charges as a good step, maintained that increase in other charges was not going to make much difference as far as earning any revenue was concerned.

“The charges had not been revised for a long time. Even now, if we charge Rs 50 for an AC room as per the revised charges, we still don’t achieve the break-even point in meeting the electricity bill,” said Chawla.

exporters not lose market share, labour-intensive exporters, india us trade deal, Trump Tariffs, trump tariff impositions, India-US ties, trade war, us trade war, donald trump, reciprocal tariffs, Trump India trade deal, India US tariff cuts, Trump India tariffs announcement, India US trade agreement, Modi Trump trade talks, India US economic relations, India lowers tariffs for US, US India trade negotiations, Trump Modi tariff deal, India US import export policy, Trump on India tariffs, US India business ties, trade war India US, India trade policy changes, India US tariff reduction, Indian express news, current affairs

On Govt table: How to help exporters not lose market share due to 50% US tariff

Business2 hr ago

The Indian government is implementing strategies to protect its market share from the impact of high US tariffs. This includes providing support to exporters through subsidies, loans, and credit guarantees, as well as helping them access domestic buyers. However, India's export growth to US is lower compared to its competitors, and the situation may worsen with additional tariffs on Russian oil.

View all shorts

Live Blog