High Court asks govt to cap private hosps’ charge for COVID treatment

Ordering notice to the government in this regard returnable by May 24, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said, “The petitioner complains of private nursing homes, poly-clinics and the like raising exorbitant bills on COVID-19 patients. While the services rendered by doctors and nursing staff even in private medical facilities must be appreciated, there are reports of overcharging or exorbitant amounts being demanded whether at the time of admission or at the time of discharge.

“This must be looked into by the State government, as several complaints in such regard have been received, including by way of letters addressed to this court,” the Chief Justice said while directing the immediate forwarding of the petition by email to the office of Advocate General.

The petitioner, DI Nathan, had sought for a direction to the State to devise a scheme wherein all the private nursing homes, poly clinics and hospitals of all kinds in Tamil Nadu were under their control to admit and to provide free treatment to pandemic patients.

Through another order, the bench also sought the State to upload all Government Orders and notifications related to COVID-19 on Tamil Nadu government’s website (tn.gov.in) and also on stopcorona.tn.gov.in.

Even as he submitted screenshots of GOs uploaded on the same day, Advocate General R Shanmugasundaram conceded to a couple of days’ delays in uploading GOs as some of the staff in the department were affected with COVID.