CWC urges Centre to cap COVID-19 treatment expenses in private hospitals
Jun 23, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 23 : The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide immediate relief for those 'paying exorbitant prices for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals' by capping the prices.
CWC conducted a meeting via video conferencing. The meeting was chaired by Congress working president Sonia Gandhi.
After the meeting, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala briefed about the issues discussed in the meeting and said, "Insurance companies are not coming forward to support or cover the COVID-19 treatment leading to hapless patients being financially stranded in times of pandemic. The government and the insurance regulator must take all steps necessary to control the situation and impose heavy penalties on defaulting insurance companies."
"Union government seems to have abandoned its responsibilities and passed the buck to the states, without offering adequate support. Many patients are being denied treatment or not able to afford it," he added.
CWC in an official statement said that the government must ensure price control and easy availability of the drugs approved as lines of treatment for COVID-19. It also alleged that PM-CARES fund continues to be woefully under-utilised and
administered without any transparency whatsoever.
"The testing protocols set by ICMR keep changing. The recent introduction of antigens testing with lower sensitivity than RT-PCR tests has only added to the policy confusion. Neither is there consistency and transparency on testing data," it said.
"The government must set up a protocol for immediate handing over of bodies to the families and their expeditious cremation with full honour and respect," it added.
