Thiruvananthapuram: Hereafter, post-COVID treatment won't come free in government-run hospitals in Kerala for patients from the Above Poverty Line (APL) category.

The Principal Secretary (Health Department)  has issued the orders in this regard.

The State Government has also decided to charge money from this category for treating black fungus and other types of allergies found in some people during the post-COVID period.

Earlier government hospitals used to give free treatment for post-COVID patients.

Now, it has been restricted only to those holding the Below Poverty  Line (BPL) ration cards and members of the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), the free healthcare scheme. 

Post-COVID conditions include a slew of new, recurring or ongoing health problems experienced by people for a short or medium period after they were found cured of COVID-19.

The fees

For APL categories, the charge for an IP bed in a government hospital varies from Rs 750 to Rs 2,000 daily for post-COVID treatment.

Private hospitals are allowed to charge between Rs.2,645 and Rs.15,180 daily for post-COVID treatment. 

Those admitted for IP treatment in a general ward in a government hospital have to shell out Rs 750 daily. In the High Dependency Unit (HDU) ward, the charge will be Rs 1,250. In ICU, it will be Rs 1,500 and for a ventilator, it is Rs 2,000 daily.  For conducting surgeries, the rate will vary from Rs 4,800 to Rs 27,500.

In private hospitals, the rate comes in the bracket of Rs 2,645 to 2,910 daily. In ICU, the rate will be in the Rs 7,800 to Rs 8,580 range. For a ventilator set-up, the private hospital can charge in the range of Rs 13,800 to Rs 15,180 daily.