Govt refunded Rs 1.58 crore excess amount collected by hospitals from COVID patients': K'taka health minister

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 22 (ANI): Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Monday said the state government has refunded Rs 1.58 crore excess amount collected by hospitals from COVID patients till date.
Sudhakar said, "won't spare hospitals until they refund the excess money they had charged to COVID patients."
The Karnataka government has a mother's heart and officials will visit other district hospitals to ensure quality healthcare.
The minister said some hospitals collected money from the government again after charging COVID-19 patients. The hospitals received notices to reimburse the patients for their money.
"We were able to effectively ensure that a total of Rs 1.58 crore has been refunded to the patients to date in the first such endeavour by the government. The government won't stop until every rupee that was improperly collected has been refunded," he added.
The Health Minister announced that all the districts hospital in the state will soon offer online patient registration. He added that the taluk hospitals would also use the same technique.
After the visit to the Jayanagara government hospital, the health minister told reporters that staff members have been instructed to provide appointments via SMS or online to lessen congestion.
"This measure is being put into place to reduce long queues. Patients will receive information on which doctor to see and when via SMS or the Internet as part of a system that is currently being developed. Patients won't have to visit the hospital and wait there. Any patient visiting the district hospitals may schedule a visit and make a payment online," Sudhakar said.
The Health Minister visited each ward of the hospital and gathered information about the quality of service in the hospital from patients.
Later in development, Sudhakar announced a grant of Rs 5 crore to the Jayanagara government hospital following a discussion with the officials for repair works.
The administrators have been directed to take the required steps to guarantee that the Jayanagara government hospital meets the national quality standards (NQS), he said.
"We need to do this to improve the level of service. I shall return in the future to see if the goal has been reached," he added.
A 51-bed ICU was built here after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and more staff will be hired to ensure proper operation, he said.
"I've emailed the Finance Department a request for appointments of permanent employees. Despite having four Orthopedic specialists, only 40 procedures are taking place in the hospital. This number needs to be increased to 100," he asserted.
Additionally, he said, a conference would be convened amongst several departments to improve coordination.
He further added that the maternity department has received several complaints, and staff members have been ordered to make improvements. Each department's in-charge has been given particular goals and is required to maintain a standard of care that will entice patients to use the government hospitals rather than a private one.
A doctor on a contract was accused of accepting bribes. Even before the investigation's findings are released, the officials have been told to fire that doctor from his position, Sudhakar said. (ANI)