City hospitals overcharge for dengue tests

Charge Rs 1,470 for the dengue test, despite central directives to charge only Rs 600

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department, the monitoring body, has failed to take any action against errant hospitals that are charging more than Rs 600 to check blood samples for dengue. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) had issued a letter in this regard to all private health institutions in all states and cities on July 5, 2016. But the Pune-xbased hospitals seem to be unaware of it. And why has the PMC waited so long before issuing the directions to cap the dengue test charges?

City hospitals this year are overcrowded with the surge in the number of dengue and chikungunya patients. But this surge has resulted in a boom in business for city based laboratories and hospital attached laboratories. They are charging anything between Rs 900 and Rs 1,500 for the two dengue diagnostic tests, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Immunoglobulin M (IgM).

In view of this surge across the country, NVBDCP director Dr A C Dhariwal had issued a circular of instructions on July 5, 2016 to 29 states including Maharashtra, two capital territories and five Union territories of the country. The circular is applicable to all public health department and private health institutes of specified states and municipal corporations. The circular states that the health minister held a review meeting under his chairmanship on July 1, 2016. The circular further states that during the monsoons and pre monsoon period, the number of dengue cases are on rise. “Sometimes the community is in panic due to lack of information about the government facility for free diagnosis of pressure on the resources due to sudden increase in cases. In shortage of facility/space, community moves to private health facilities where many a times they end up with high out of pocket expenditure for diagnosis and treatment,” the circular reads.

“Through this communication I would like to issue instructions to put cap on charges not more than Rs 600 per test as Delhi government had done last year in the private sector. This will lead to minimise the panic and economic burden on community. It will be appreciated if action is taken in this regard on private institutions.”

The letter was issued on July 5, but the Pune health department has taken cognizance of it after two months, and appealed to the city private hospitals and laboratories to adhere the rule of not charging more than Rs 600 for the dengue test. Some of the city hospitals verbally assured the PMC health department that they would follow the decision, but have not implemented it.

None of five prominent hospitals in the city TGS visited are following the rule. Some hospitals don’t know about the directions, while others know and are ‘thinking’ about following the rule.

At the Ruby Hall Clinic Out Patient Laboratory (OPD), on Thursday morning, the two staff women ladies said that they charged Rs 1,470 for the IgG and IgM dengue test. At Jehangir Hospital, a man at the reception counter said that they charge Rs 1,050 for the test. Asked if they knew that the PMC had asked them not to charge more than Rs 600 for the test, he told us to visit the research department. But the two officers of the medical research department were not in their cabin. Sancheti Hospital in Shivajinagar area lab staff said that they charged Rs 850 for the test. At Sahyadri Hospital on Karve Road, a receptionist said they charged Rs 1,300 for the test. Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Erandwane charges Rs 1,150 for the test.

Ruby Hall Clinic medical director Dr Sanjay Pathare said that they are charging Rs 600 as per government instructions. “We have accepted the government norms regarding the capping of the test and we are charging the patients accordingly. Let me know who told you they are charging Rs 1,470,” said Dr Pathare. Sancheti Hospital medical director Madhav Borate said that they are basically offering orthopaedic services to the patients and do not admit patients with fever. “We just conduct the dengue tests. I don’t know whether PMC has set a cap on charges,” said Dr Borate.

Sahyadri Hospital Public Relation Officer (PRO) Balaji Sahane said that he was not aware of whether PMC has issued such directions to the hospitals. A woman working in the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital lab, said on condition of anonymity said that they had received instructions from the government to cap the dengue test. “We are seriously thinking of implementing the decision in our hospital, and we will apply it and adhere to government instructions very soon,” she said.

We asked PMC health chief ST Pardeshi whether they had taken any action as per the NVBDCP director’s instructions. He replied, “The decision can’t be made compulsory on the hospitals. However, we have requested all hospitals about capping, but only ten hospitals, Jehangir, Surya, Inlaks and Budhrani, Krishna, Sanjeevani, Shashwat, Prayag, Ruby Hall, Poona and three laboratories, Religare, Golwilkar and Lal Path Lab are ready to follow the rule. The rest will be ready in future.”

dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

Originally published on The Golden Sparrow