Healthcare commission fixes price cap on private hospitals in Punjab

Private hospitals in Punjab have reportedly been overcharging patients for COVID-19 treatment.

The Punjab Healthcare Commission on Tuesday said it has taken notice of the increasing high rates of private hospitals.

The rates have been reduced to match those of February 2020. No hospital will be allowed to increase their rates during the pandemic, the health commission said.

The PHCC also directed all private hospitals to put up their charges online on their respective websites. This is not limited to rates of admission for one day only.

Private hospitals will have to put up charges for HDU, ICU, ventilators and Actemra injections online, too.

Punjab has reported 55,878 cases of COVID-19, the highest in the country. So far 1,081 people have lost their lives to the virus. A total of 17,730 recoveries have been reported in the province.