TN govt revokes COVID licence of hospital in Chennai for overcharging patients

The Tamil Nadu government has temporarily revoked the COVID-19 treatment licence of Bewell private hospital in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai after reports of the administration charging ₹12.2 lakh for 19 days of treatment emerged.

According to The New Indian Express, State Health Minister Vijayabaskar had inspected the facility and reviewed its treatment following allegations and complaints that the hospital was charging too much for treatment.

It was found after inquiry that the hospital had indeed overcharged patients and did not follow the pricing cap announced by the government. The licence of the hospital was revoked following this revelation.

The state government had fixed rates for private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment after several reports of hospitals fleecing patients came up. According to the order, Grade 1 and 2 hospitals can charge a maximum of ₹7,500 for a general ward per day while Grade 3 and 4 hospitals can charge ₹5,000.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu had included treatment of COVID-19 patients in private hospitals under the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme. In government hospitals, treatment has been made free-of-cost for COVID-19 patients across the state and other specially setup COVID-19 care facilities.

The families that are already enrolled and eligible under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme can avail the treatment, according to the latest announcement.