Officials Request hospitals choking patients Having inflated Invoices for oxygen to Commence refunds

Nodal officials have begun to crack down on hospitals which are inflating invoices and charging patients additional for oxygen given by the hour.
The price of providing oxygen is contained in the mattress charges and shouldn’t be charged individually, based on Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), a strategy which entitles the underprivileged and covid patients admitted during the BBMP helpline, to free therapy.
SAST pays the hospital for all of the charges incurred by individuals admitted under this scheme.

However, some hospitals are charging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 each hour of oxygen provided, stating that these are fees adjusted by the Karnataka government.
SAST also has prescribed a cap on fees to patients admitted to hospitals.
(see box) Many physicians are flouting that also.

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Lately, Sathya (named changed), has been admitted to a hospital at Dasarahalli, using covid, for 15 days.
Says Sathya,”After testing positive for covid, I had been admitted to the hospital under the personal quota.
The hospital advised us that the air prices would be based on the mandates of the Karnataka government, that they stated was Rs.
1,500 each hour.
In the time of release, they gave me a statement of Rs.
8,13,400, where Rs.
5.
4 lakh had been to get oxygen which they had calculated for 360 hours,” he explained.

A senior officer from Dasarahalli zone stated they would check the invoices and check with all the hospitals which have overcharged patients.
“The mattress prices include oxygen prices and the hospitals aren’t supposed to charge additional.
We’ll check all of the invoices from the hospitals and also deliver them a note to begin a refund,” said the officer.

.

Alok Kumar, ADGP KSRP and nodal officer for East zone, also stated it has come to his notice which hospitals had been charging exorbitant levels under the pretext of oxygen prices.
“We’ve identified these associations from whom we obtained complaints and also have formed groups to check into the inflated debts, in April.
The staff will check the amount of patients that have been overcharged from the hospitals not just for oxygen but also for beds along with extra fees and will request them to commence a refund,” he explained.

He explained that the exceptional team looking to the alleged complaints raised against Comfort Hospital, filed a report on Saturday, advised the hospital they needed to commence a refund for charging 1,000 each hour of oxygen provided.
“We’ve begun to crack down to different associations in the East zone for many patients and whether the hospital doesn’t collaborate with us, we’ll initiate legal actions against them,” he explained.

Lately, Bangalore Mirror had reported some private hospitals at the East Zone were charging Rs.
1,000 each hour of oxygen provided.
Observing this, the authorities had begun investigations into complaints of hospitals providing statements.