People have been lately using Twitter to help each other with medical amenities amidst the COVID-19 emergency. However, false messages and claims are also getting viral.
Recently, a purported message has been going viral that says that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has promised free COVID-19 treatment in all government as well as private hospitals in the state.
Carrying a video of Reddy, it claims that the AP government will provide free treatment for COVID-19 for all.
It has now been learned that the claim is fake.
The AP government has made no announcement about providing free treatment for COVID-19 in private hospitals. However, the treatment is free of cost in all government hospitals.
NewsMeter informs that for non-critical COVID-19 treatment, there is a fixed charge of Rs 4000, and Rs 3,000 at the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) hospitals non-NABH hospitals respectively. For non-critical treatment with oxygen, the charges are Rs 6,500 and Rs 5,850 respectively.
For critical COVID treatment with ICU and NIV, the charges at NABH hospitals and non-NABH hospitals are Rs 12,000 and Rs 10,800 respectively. For critical treatment with ICU and invasive ventilator, Rs 16000 and Rs 14,400 will be charged at NABH hospitals and non-NABH hospitals respectively.
The Chief Minister has directed officials to fix prices on the treatment in order to prevent hospitals from overcharging. Hospitals have to display fees and charges at hospitals along with the details for complaints in case of extra charges. Strict action will be taken if any hospital charges more than the fixed fee.
