Andhra Pradesh to book private hospitals charging excess fee

Accordingly, Principal Secretary, Health, AK Singhal issued orders on Friday that hospitals charging in excess should be fined ten times the amount as penalty.

Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan has directed officials to book criminal cases against private hospitals in Andhra Pradesh which are collecting abnormal fee from Covid patients.

Accordingly, Principal Secretary, Health, AK Singhal issued orders on Friday that hospitals charging in excess should be fined ten times the amount as penalty. And if it was done for a second time, criminal cases should be booked against the hospitals under Clinical Establishment Act, he said.

He also sought the officials of Medical, Health and Family Welfare, Collectors and Police Commissioners to take appropriate action against the erring hospitals.

The State government has also made it mandatory for hospitals with 50 or more beds to have their own oxygen plants while those with less than 50 beds should provide oxygen concentrators and cylinders for every bed.