Hospital & Diagnostics

TN: 9 Hospitals Barred From Treating Covid-19 Patients For Violating Guidelines

• byDoctor News Daily Team
• 18 February, 2025
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Chennai: In a stringent view of inconsistencies and violation in providing services to Covid-19 patients, the Directorate of Medical Services has prohibited nine city-based hospitals from treating Covid-19 patients.
This comes in wake of violations of the directions issued by the State Government for treating Covid-19 patients. The authority received various complaints regarding the hospital's approach towards treating Covid-19 patients that mostly included overcharging Covid-19 patients. Accordingly, show-cause notices were issued to the facilities.
As per a recent report in TOI, nine hospitals came under the scanner, out of which, licenses of three city-based hospitals including Bewell Hospital in Kilpauk, Appasamy Hospitals in Arumbakkam, and Hindu Mission Hospital in Tambaram were temporarily canceled, besides six other hospitals including SRM Medical Hospital, Trichy, City Hospital, Virudhunagar, Priyam Hospital, Salem, Sri Lakshmi Medical Centre, Coimbatore, City Hospital, Thoothukudi and Scudder Memorial Hospital, Ranipet till October 14.
In June the State Health Department issued circulars and capped prices for covid-19 testing and treatment. According to the guidelines, beneficiaries under the Chief Minister's health insurance scheme, who will receive treatment in private hospitals can be charged between Rs 5000 to Rs 15000 a day depending on whether the patient can be treated in a general ward or has to be put on ventilation in ICU. On the other hand, nonbeneficiaries could be charged rupees 7500 a day in A1 and A2 grade hospitals, and Rs 5000 a day in A3 to A6 hospitals. As far as the costing for critical care service is concerned, the government has capped it at rupees 15000 per day.
However, despite the guidelines of the state government, the health department received several complaints of overcharging patients. Acting on the same, the hospitals were given the option to refund the excess fee collected from patients
Eighteen hospitals were directed to initiate a refund process to pay the excess money collected from patients for treatment. Out of these 18 hospitals, sixteen hospitals in Chennai and two in Coimbatore have already returned the money.
Also Read: Hyderabad: Another private hospital stripped of COVID facility status
The list of 18 hospitals instructed by the authorities to pay back the overcharged amount includes SRM Medical College Hospital, Chettinad Hospital, Dr. Kamatchi Memorial Hospital, Dr Mehta's hospital, Hycare hospital, SIMS hospital, MMRV hospital, Prasthan hospital, Venkateshwara Hospital, Apollo hospital on Greams road and Venagaram, Appaswamy Hospital, Chennai National hospital, MGM hospital, Vijaya hospital and Srinivas Priya hospital in Chennai and KCMCH and GKNM Hospital in Coimbatore.
"We conducted inquiries based on complaints from patients or their relatives. Most of them were related to charging more than what was prescribed by the government. The hospitals were issued show-cause notices before action was initiated against them," Director of Medical Services Dr S Gurunathan told TOI.