Thiruvananthapuram: Several private hospitals in the state have started COVID-19 treatment.
Patients, undergoing treatment at private hospitals, can also avail health insurance benefits. Earlier, only government hospitals were providing COVID-19 treatment. The private companies had refused to give insurance cover for those seeking treatment at the private hospitals. With the government issuing orders that even private hospitals can provide COVID-19 treatment, that hurdle in availing insurance benefits has been removed.
Those with COVID-19 symptoms can undergo tests at the private hospitals or at authorised labs. If the test results are positive, they can seek treatment at the private hospital.
The government has stipulated specific guidelines for private hospitals, providing COVID-19 treatment. These hospitals need to allocate at least 20 beds and ensure a separate entrance for the COVID-19 patients.
The government-fixed rate for PCR test is Rs 2,750; TrueNAT test is Rs 1,500 and antigen test is Rs 625. The private hospitals can decide on the rates for other treatment expenses.
The government bears the COVID-19 treatment expenses of those who are beneficiaries of KASP (Karunya Aarogya Suraksha Padhathi) and have been referred by the government hospitals to private hospitals.
Eighty private hospitals have been empanelled in this category so far. Of this, 30 hospitals have started treatment.
