Telangana govt seeks private hospital fee details
TELANGANA:Â The Telangana government has directed district medical and health officers to gather details of fees charged by private hospitals for various treatments.
The move has triggered delays from private hospitals, which have not submitted complete fee details. Sources said some officials in the health department were allegedly supporting them.
Hospitals accused of overcharging patients
Patients with minor ailments are allegedly being advised multiple tests and admitted as in-patients even when not required. Doctors are accused of creating panic and charging higher fees.
Earlier, the health department had instructed private hospitals to display treatment charges collected from patients. However, many hospitals have not complied.
District medical and health officers have limited powers beyond cancelling hospital registrations. Even if registration is cancelled, hospitals reportedly reopen under new names.
In Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, a hospital whose registration was earlier cancelled in an illegal abortion case reportedly reopened under a different name and was again booked in a similar case.
Only partial response from districts
The government recently asked district medical and health officers to collect details of charges for out-patient (OP), in-patient (IP), surgeries and other services.
Two months after the directive, only partial information has been received from districts including Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Nalgonda, Jangaon, Hanumakonda, Sangareddy and Peddapalli.
More than 50 per cent of information was received from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, while other districts submitted only 20–25 per cent, sources said.
Discrepancies in fee declarations
Even hospitals that submitted data allegedly provided incorrect figures.
In Bhuvanagiri, a reputed hospital declared a Caesarean section charge of ₹25,000. However, it reportedly collects ₹45,000 to ₹50,000 from patients.
Several hospitals are said to be following similar practices. Observers said making it mandatory to issue receipts for all fees collected could help curb overcharging.
Sample treatment charges declared by some hospitals
OP consultation: ₹150–₹300
IP admission: ₹1,500–₹2,500
Newborn OP: ₹1,500
Caesarean section: ₹20,000–₹25,000
Normal delivery: ₹15,000–₹20,000
Open tubectomy: ₹12,000–₹15,000
Laparoscopic tubectomy: ₹20,000–₹25,000
Appendix operation: ₹30,000
Laparoscopic hysterectomy: ₹40,000–₹45,000
