Rs 140cr dues! Pvt hospitals fume

Nischith N | NT

Bengaluru: The third Covid-19 wave is raging across the state but the government is dragging its feet on clearing the dues of patients treated under its quota by private hospitals.

Reports say that a staggering 140 crore worth dues of private hospitals across Karnataka are yet to be cleared and date back to the first and second wave . Many of these private hospitals which are part of PHANA (Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes association) have complained that the government owes them crores for treating its patients under the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), a separate body under the Health Department acting as the implementing agency for Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka.

“In private hospitals it is very difficult to maintain staff during COVID times. Private hospitals are ready to pay up to 200% more salary to doctors and nurses to attend to COVID patients when they have sufficient funds. Earlier, doctors who had completed their postgraduation (PG) were paid a maximum of Rs 5,000 per 12-hour night shift. Now, the demand has gone up and they expect more than Rs12,000 for the same duration in COVID wards. Definitely it is a risky place and we have provided all safety measures. With the government not clearing the bills, most hospitals are finding it difficult to run the show” says a senior doctor from a reputed hospital in Bengaluru requesting anonymity.

Around 3.5 lakh plus patients were treated in the private sector under the government quota during the first and second Covid- 19 waves across Karnataka and an estimated Rs 500 Crore has been paid by the government while more than Rs 140 Crore is yet to be paid. The state health department claims that only 200 to 250 bills can be claimed per day.

“Some private hospital managements pay around Rs 5,000 per night shift who have good funding and whose bills are cleared. All those on Covid duty are demanding this amount but hospitals cannot meet their demands. There is a general feeling that private hospitals are making huge profits during Covid but the actual situation is different. In the third wave we are not witnessing much hospitalization. We don’t know whether it is 140 Crore or more, but we want our dues to be cleared” says Dr Prasanth.

It is also claimed that the government is forcing more patients to get admitted to private hospitals though the government has COVID beds of its own. In Bengaluru city, at present 1000 plus beds have been reserved in government hospitals for COVID treatment but 191 patients have been treated in private hospitals.

There are reports that a few hospital managements are trying to cut down salaries to half as the number of patient admissions has dropped.