Private diagnostic centres in Mahabubnagar to charge Rs 1,999 for CT scan

Mahabubnagar: The private diagnostic centers association members in Mahabubnagar have agreed to provide CT scan for just Rs 1999 from Tuesday onwards.

With the increasing cases of Covid-19 witnessing in Mahabubnagar district during the past one month and doctors prescribing CT scan diagnostic tests, there have been allegations against the private diagnostic centers and hospitals that they were charging heavily for CT scan, earlier.

On Monday, the Excise and Prohibition Minister Srinvias Goud, intervened and called up a meeting with members of all diagnostic centers, district medical and Health officials and the drug control officials and instructed them to reduce the cost of CT scan for Covid patients. The members of CT scan diagnostic centre association readily agreed and fixed the price of CT scan at Rs. 1999, which will be provided from Today onwards.

Earlier there were allegations, that the CT scan diagnostic centres were charging exorbitant charges ranging from Rs 4000 to 8000 and fleecing the Covid patients. Reacting to this, the Minister arranged a meeting and requested the diagnostic centres and hospitals to make sure all the necessary healthcare facilities are provided to the public at affordable and minimum chargeable prices during the ongoing covid emergency situation in the district.

Not just fixing the prices for CT scan, the Excise Minister also urged the private hospitals to provide essential medicines like antiviral Remdesivir and other medicines judiciously and at a price stipulated by the government.

We have proposed the government to supply 450 Remdesivir injections to the private hospitals in the district. As already 13 private hospitals in the district have been permitted to treat Covid-19 patients, injections will be supplied to all these hospitals in the coming days. However, as per the governments directions all the private hospitals have to reserve 20 per cent of their beds to the poor covid patients, said Minister Srinivas Goud.

"To monitor the diagnostic centres, pharmacy stores and private hospitals to make sure that they are providing treatment and testing as per the stipulated prices by the government a task force team has been formed. Where the task force team will include DM&HO, District drug inspector, Revenue Division Officer and Superintendent of Police.

The team will regularly monitor the private hospitals, pharmacy stores and diagnostic centres and make sure they are following government rules strictly while treating covid patients." he adds

At present there are 250 oxygen beds in government general hospital of Mahabubnagar, in addition to this the district administration sent proposals for the government enhance to another 250 beds making it to 500.

In addition to this in all the 13 private hospitals, another 1124 oxygen beds are available in private hospitals. The doctors and physicians treating Covid patients are also advised to write CT scan tests and administration of Remdesivir injections judiciously only for cases that are very serious.

The task force team will constantly monitor the private hospitals and will check the services and bills being charged against the Covid patients in the district.

It is learnt that during the recent house to house fever survey in Mahabubnagar district over 2.15 lakh households have been surveyed for fever and as many as 7680 people have been identified to have Covid symptoms.

All these individuals have been distributed Covid kits and are undergoing treatment by keeping them in isolation. The Excise Minister appraised the efforts of Mahabubnagar MP Manne Srinvias Reddy, and MSN labs Head Satyanarayan Reddy for donating Covid testing equipments to Government General Hospital and SVS Medical college Hospital.

Swarna Sudhakar Reddy, Zillah Parishad Chairman, Additional Collector Nandalal Pawar, DM&HO Dr Krishna, District Medical Officer Tirupati Rao, Private Diagnostic Centres Association President Kamesh and others were present at the programme.