Nihad Amani
Hyderabad: This news would come to you as a shocker. It did so to us at siasat.com.
No major private hospital in the city which was not long ago, projected as the Medical Capital of India, is offering any service to the COVID-19 victims, not free of charge and not on concessional rate.
However, there is one exception. Apollo Hospitals is providing facility for COVID-19 test for about Rs 5000. That is all.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 victims have reached 41 in Telangana with no deaths so far. In fact, one of the 41 victims has recovered fully from the disease.
Government of Telangana has announced a slew of precautionary measures, including lockdown of the entire State. It has also announced assistance to the lower income group persons. The assistance announcement includes grains and cash of Rs 1200 to 1500 per family. But, unfortunately due to political bungling and bureaucratic delays, that relief, according to government sources, has not reached the public as yet.
This reporter spoke on telephone with responsible persons in a number of hospitals such as Virinchi, Yashoda, CARE, Zoi, Aster Prime, Mahavir Hospital & Research Centre, Aware Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Star Hospitals, Omega Hospitals. They all said that they are not offering any services for COVID-19. In case a patient calls on them, he or she is straight away advised to go Gandhi Hospital. None of the above hospital said that it is providing any facility free of cost or at any concessional rate to the suspected COVID-19 victims.
A few hospitals kept on forwarding the call of this reporter which routinely ended up with the line being cut off.
“The hospitals must come up with the treatment and services for COVID-19. One or two hospitals for a state with a fairly big population is not enough,” stated MBBS students at private medical colleges.