The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Hospital reimbursement policy yet to be finalised

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Hospital reimbursement policy yet to be finalised

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, AUG. 19. Even as the number of children with cardiac disorders and requiring immediate surgery admitted to hospitals in the State capital and other districts is on the rise, the Government is yet to chalk out a final policy on the costs of treatment of these children.

According to a senior Government official, even the modalities of payment to be made to the corporate hospitals, which had conducted surgery on over 70 children since the children were first admitted on August 7, are yet to be worked out. A meeting of officials concerned held recently had discussed the issue, particularly in the backdrop of some of the corporate hospitals expressing concern over reimbursement of the treatment costs incurred by them. However, no final decision had emerged from the meeting, he said.

Ambiguity on costs

Ambiguity also clouds the costs of treatment of children, who were screened at the camps held in 11 districts on August 12 and those who will be screened during the camps scheduled for August 22.

"That will be a policy decision," a Government official said, adding that there were possibilities of the top brass shortly calling for a meeting with paediatric cardiologists, representatives of various hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and distributors of disposables and other materials necessary for the surgeries. The meeting, the official said, could border on the Government's efforts to reduce the cost of surgery to the maximum extent possible.

Hospital upgradation

Meanwhile, the situation of government hospitals, beleaguered by shortage of staff, funds, equipment and even buildings, was likely to remain more or less the same for the time being with a concrete decision yet to evolve on the upgradation of state-run hospitals as well.

"The upgradation was discussed and it was announced that it would be taken up in a phased manner. But when or how has not been made clear so far," the official said.

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